The NBA created G League Ignite so young prospects could earn a living. Commissioner Adam Silver isn't sure that's still necessary.
The Ignite began play in 2020 as college basketball's replacement for top prospects. Players could earn up to $500,000 to play on Team Ignite, which stocked their team with a mix of veterans and high school stars. Young players received high salaries, scholarships to Arizona State University, and life skills classes, as a way to prepare players for careers in the NBA.
But the COVID-19 pandemic derailed those plans, and the Ignite played only limited games, first in a “bubble” tournament in Orlando and then in the league’s winter showcase in year two. At the same time, new state laws and NCAA rule changes allowed players to make money by selling the rights to their names, images and likenesses (NIL). Suddenly, players could get similar money from Ignite just for playing college basketball.
The success rate of Ignite players in the NBA has not been great. Players like Jonathan Kuminga and Jalen Green are only now starting to make an impact in their third seasons in the NBA, while players like Daishen Nix and Michael Foster Jr. are starting to make an impact in their third NBA seasons. and Kai Sotto are all undesigned.
With Ignite's financial incentives no longer necessary and its development model showing mixed results, the team's future is in doubt. The NBA wanted to create an alternative development model to college basketball. Now that college basketball has changed, it may have come to an end.
