Bulls Rookie Explains G League Ignite Shutdown

The NBA has decided to end the G League Ignite program.

Started in 2020, the G League Ignite was a way for young basketball players to get ready for the NBA without going to college or playing overseas. These players could earn up to $500,000 while competing against other G League teams. The team played home games at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada. However, after four years, the NBA decided to shut down the program when this season ended in April.

Matas Buzelis, one of the top prospects from G League Ignite last season, shared his thoughts on why it ended during an appearance on the “#thisleague UNCUT” podcast with Chris Haynes and Marc Stein .

Why Did It End?

During the podcast, Haynes suggested that the NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) movement in college sports might have been a reason for shutting down the program. But Buzelis had a different take.

“It’s not even that,” he said. “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.”

Fans might think it’s sad that financial issues were behind this decision.

Despite their struggles and finishing with a 6-40 record last season, Buzelis was still picked 11th overall by the Chicago Bulls in last month’s draft.

Before Buzelis joined Ignite, other notable players like Jalen Green, Scoot Henderson and Jonathan Kuminga were also part of this program.

What do you think about all this?