The NBA will shut down the G League Ignite team after the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, NBA G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim announced Thursday afternoon.
The league’s decision comes “amid the changing basketball landscape, including the NCAA’s Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) policy and the advent of collectives and the transfer portal.”
The rise of the NIL at the college level, which gives players the opportunity to be compensated before they go pro, was the reason for the decision. Player aren’t compensated by their respective colleges, but they can sign deals with companies and be paid.
The NBA created the Ignite in 2020 in an effort to allow top high school prospects to get paid while playing in the G-League and preparing for the NBA draft. Portland Trail Blazers’ Scoot Henderson, Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga and Houston’s Jalen Green are two of the nine former Ignite players currently on a NBA roster.
However, the growth of NIL has overshadowed the Ignite, and major recruits were less interested. No major recruits have committed to play for the team next season, leaving NBA commissioner Adam Silver uncertain about its future.
“I’m not sure what the future of Team Ignite will be because before I felt there was a hole in the marketplace we were filling,” Silver told reporters at All-Star Weekend last month. “Now my focus is turning to earlier development of those players.”
The Ignite has the G League’s worst record at 2-28 and has already been eliminated from playoff contention.
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