The NBA is shutting down its G League Ignite team after the 2023-24 season, according to Shams Charania. G League Ignite was offered by the league as an alternative option for draft prospects, allowing them to play on a contract instead of going to college or needing to seek an opportunity overseas. Some notable players to come out of the G League Ignite development machine are Rockets guard Jalen Green, Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga and Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson.
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: https://t.co/7KAYBVX1lI— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 21, 2024
Commissioner Adam Silver hinted at the possibility of the league folding the team due to the rise of NIL collectives driving college basketball and college athletics programs in general to be able to pay their players. With college players being able to secure money for their play, G League Ignite lost a lot of its value. Also, the development aspect can be considered questionable since G League Ignite was .500 or worse in each of its seasons.
Even though G League Ignite only took a handful of some highly drafted prospects, the team did present an opportunity for top players to make money ahead of NIL becoming widespread. That did impact recruiting at some programs, like Kentucky. With G League being shut down and similar programs likely going down with it, we could see the return of top NBA prospects to the college game.