The basketball world’s eyes are on the 2024 NCAA Tournament right now, but some jarring news from the NBA emerged on Thursday. The league will shut down the G League Ignite team, an innovative idea that never quite got into its second gear.
The NBA, through its Communications X account, announced the plans to shut the Ignite team down. Several years ago, the league created the G League Ignite to have a team “focused on developing NBA prospects.”
“The decision to end the program 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,” NBA Communications said.
NBA G League Ignite, the league’s owned-and-operated team focused on developing NBA prospects, is concluding its final season, NBA G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim announced today.
The decision to end the program comes amid the changing basketball landscape, including the…
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) March 21, 2024
At the advent of G League Ignite, it looked like a good way for high school kids to pursue a basketball career while getting paid. College basketball, despite the innuendo and sometimes brazen behavior of boosters, didn’t legally allow players to get paid. So, from a concept standpoint, it made a lot of sense to plan out.
But now that NIL exists, it practically rendered them irrelevant. The team had a really down season this year, going 2-28 with an ugly NET rating. So, unfortunately, the writing might have been on the wall.
It’s unfortunate for all the people involved, as they’ll now have to try and find new places of work. For the players, the options are what they are: Play in college or pursue an overseas career.
The basketball world had much to say about this major story.
An ambitious experiment, but it didn't work in the end https://t.co/XvBxWlIGnr
— 🎓 runnin'💛 (@busyxb) March 21, 2024
It is impossible not to notice how this news lands on the best and most anticipated day of college basketball's calendar. https://t.co/wI0BflDv7Q
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) March 21, 2024
The program failed to give us the legit top-tier stars it promised to. But it did help push forward agency for student athletes.
That's probably it's biggest success. Make of that what you will. https://t.co/DhbBVxB98s
— Michael Sykes, II (@MikeDSykes) March 21, 2024
College basketball: https://t.co/IDPoShyDzi pic.twitter.com/F94SkRKkhr
— Mark Ennis (@MarkEnnis) March 21, 2024
they gave it a try. it didn't work. that's fine. It's nice that CBB will be better off for this. I also think you might see a guy or two a year go down to Australia still. https://t.co/1HmL9jruYU
— Gee (@piggenres) March 21, 2024
Remember when G League Ignite was going to be the end of college basketball? This sport has more lives than nine cats. https://t.co/aaSRcl14y1
— Rob Dauster (@RobDauster) March 21, 2024
NIL is saving college basketball https://t.co/bWbz3oELyZ
— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) March 21, 2024
