The NBA’s G League Ignite, a program that initially came up as an alternative to the college route, was recently shut down after running for just over three years, as per Shams Charania. NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal recently revealed on his Instagram story, he may know what is to blame for it.
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The G League Ignite came up during a time when college athletes did not receive monetary remuneration for playing in games, despite colleges benefitting financially from the fans they attracted. At this time, Team Ignite offered athletes serious money, with now-Houston Rockets star Jalen Green even having earned $500,000 during his time there, as per Hoops Geek. Additionally, it would also allow draft prospects to play against professional athletes right out of high school.
However, while the G League Ignite plan seems good and dandy on the surface, it is now being shut down less than five years after it was commenced. Speaking on the matter, Instagram user, ‘BaileyJacksonSports’, said the following on the matter.
“NIL is to blame for the demise of the G League Ignite. Earlier today it was announced that the Ignite program will cease to exist following this season after struggling to compete with the college landscape. What was supposed to be a strong alternate to the collegiate route, quickly turned into a struggle to keep up as NIL deals trumped G League contracts, despite some players like Jalen Green earning over half a million dollars playing for the team. Commissioner Adam Silver believes there is still hope for the Ignite program, and plans to reassess in the future…”
NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) deals refer to contracts that athletes may sign with different brands to earn money off their name, image, and likeness. In June of 2021, the NCAA opened up to the idea of athletes entering such agreements before they ever became professionals, as per the NCAA. And now, it is this decision by the governing body that is being blamed for the G League Ignite’s cancellation, a notion that even Shaquille O’Neal seems to agree with. As seen in the X[Formerly Twitter] post below, the NBA legend was seen sharing the IG post in question on his story.
Given everything, it is hard to disagree with Shaquille O’Neal. Indeed, the G League looked to attack a weak spot that the NCAA had ignored for years. However, given how much athletes are now earning through NIL deals, it is no wonder that the Ignite program wasn’t able to cope.
With players like Bronny James having deals valued as high as $4.9 million, as per Sports Grid. And with the value of these deals only being on the rise now, it is hard to believe that the G League has any kind of future left in the current basketball landscape.
