FILE– NBA coach Brian Shaw bellowing instructions. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—With the NBA G League set to head to Orlando for its 2021 season, G League Ignite head coach Brian Shaw couldn’t help but feel excited with the prospect of his youngsters getting their first taste of professional ball.
The G League will play at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex inside Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida—the same facility where the NBA held its own bubble during the continuation of the 2019-20 season.
“We’re excited to be a part of the G League schedule at Disney,” said Shaw. “This is a unique opportunity for our players to showcase their development while gaining a high volume of experience quickly against the caliber of talent they’ll face every day in the NBA.”
Ignite is the only one of the 18 clubs in the G League that is not affiliated with any NBA franchise and has preps-to-pros stars Jalen Green, Daishen Nix, Jonathan Kuminga, Isaiah Todd, Kai Sotto, and Princepal Singh in the lineup.
A typical season would’ve seen Ignite play a condensed schedule and the team won’t even be considered as a regular G League team for the purpose of the competition’s standings.
This time, however, the club will be treated as such and will be eligible to advance to the playoffs and contend for a championship in the non-traditional shortened season.
Ignite will receive also veteran support from Amir Johnson, Reggie Hearn, Brandon Ashley, Cody Demps and Bobby Brown.
Johnson is the most experienced of the Ignite players having played for 14 years in the NBA for the Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, and Philadelphia 76ers.