The NBA has decided to shut down its G League Ignite experiment. The team’s last marquee prospect Matas Buzelis recently explained why.
The league launched the G League Ignite program in 2020 to provide an alternative avenue for teenage prospects to prepare themselves for the NBA. The team played its home games at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nev.
Rather than playing in the NCAA or going overseas, young players were offered the opportunity to earn up to $500,000 in wages and play against G League teams until they became eligible for the NBA draft. But after four years, the NBA ended the program once the G League season ended in April.
Buzelis, who was the G League Ignite’s top prospect last season, recently appeared on the “#thisleague Uncut” podcast with Chris Haynes and Marc Stein.
The hosts asked Buzelis to expound on why he believed the G League Ignite program was shuttered. Haynes’ theory was that the program was shut down because of the NIL movement in the college ranks. Buzelis pushed back on the idea.
“It’s not even that,” said Buzelis. “Ours got shut down because the boosters didn’t give us any more money. It’s tough to drag people out of Vegas to go watch teenage kids play, outside of Vegas, 20 minutes away. It was just tough getting fans there.
“It wasn’t because of NIL or our record. It just wasn’t a positive investment.”
The Ignite finished with a 6-40 record last season. Despite a tough run in the G League, Buzelis was still drafted 11th overall by the Chicago Bulls in last month’s draft.
Prior to Buzelis, names like Jalen Green, Scoot Henderson, and Jonathan Kuminga also took part in the program.
