A few weeks ago, Adam Silver raised doubts about the future of the G League Ignite Team. The NBA announced this Thursday that the team will disappear at the end of the season.
In 2020, the Ignite Team project created a sort of semi-professionalization path for young athletes wanting to then enter the NBA. On the one hand, the G League level was supposed to better prepare bodies for the intensity of the professional world, and on the other hand – above all – prospects could receive remuneration from the age of 18.
After four years of existence, the team will finally disappear at the end of the current season.
Sources: The NBA is shutting down the G League Ignite team after this season, canceling the development squad of elite draft prospects and veterans that launched in 2020.
Full details at @TheAthletic:
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 21, 2024
One of the main reasons for this decision is the appearance of the NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) clause in the university championship. This provision allows NCAA players to receive an amount based on the popularity of their name and image, making in fact salary office.
As more and more young prospects in search of the NBA can resort to it, the Ignite project in the G League is losing its relevance.
“Four years ago, we created Ignite to fill a void in the basketball landscape, and I am proud of the contributions we have been able to make to this ecosystem. With the changing environment of youth and college basketball, now is the time to take this step.” – Shareef Abdur-Rahim, President of the G League
Since 2020, several great talents have gone through Ignite before joining the NBA. We can cite Jalen Green (2nd choice in 2021), Jonathan Kuminga (7th choice in 2021) or more recently Scoot Henderson (3rd choice in 2023).
In the current squad, Matas Buzelis (19 years old) and Ron Holland (18 years old), are both projected at the top of the 2024 Draft. And these will therefore be the last gems from the project.
Source texte : RealGM
2024-03-22 09:00:00
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