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New Orleans Pelicans guard Kira Lewis Jr. has been assigned to the Birmingham Squadron, the team’s NBA G League affiliate.
Lewis Jr., who was drafted by New Orleans with the 13th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, has appeared in 78 games over two seasons and holds careers averages of 6.2 points, 1.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.
The University of Alabama product sustained a torn ACL and Grade 2 MCL sprain in his right knee during a game against the Denver Nuggets on December 8, 2021.
NBA Academy graduate Babacar Sane of Senegal has signed with NBA G League Ignite, General Manager Anthony McClish announced today.
The 19-year-old guard becomes the fifth NBA Academy graduate to sign with Ignite, joining fellow 2022-23 Ignite players Efe Abogidi of Nigeria and Mojave King of Australia and Ignite alums Dyson Daniels of Australia and Princepal Singh of India.
Sane also joins Abogidi as the two players to sign with Ignite after participating in NBA Academy Africa, an elite basketball training center in Saly, Senegal, for top high school-age prospects from across Africa. A native of Bignona, Senegal, Sane started with NBA Academy Africa in 2019.
Sane was one of the 12 prospects from NBA Academy Africa selected to play in the 2022 Basketball Africa League (BAL) season through the BAL Elevate program, competing for Dakar Université Club.
In international competition, Sane has played with the Senegalese National Team at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 African Qualifiers. He has appeared in five games as the youngest member of the team. Sane also represented Senegal at the 2020 FIBA U18 African Championship, where he averaged 14.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in five games and helped the team reach the final.
Sane becomes the seventh player on the 2022-23 Ignite roster who has not gone through the NBA Draft process yet, joining Abogidi, King, Sidy Cissoko, Scoot Henderson, London Johnson and Leonard Miller. Both Sane and Johnson will be eligible for the 2024 NBA Draft and have signed with Ignite for two seasons.
Ignite tips off its 2022-23 NBA G League season against the Oklahoma City Blue on Friday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. PT/10 p.m. ET at The Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nev.
The Salt Lake City Stars announced today the new appointments of Scott Morrison as the team’s head coach and Marquis Newman as the general manager of the official NBA G League affiliate of the Utah Jazz among its basketball operations staff for the 2022-23 season.
Morrison, a former Boston Celtics assistant coach, served as the head coach of the Perth Wildcats of Australia’s National Basketball League last season. Morrison becomes the Stars’ fourth head coach since the team relocated to Salt Lake City in 2016.
Morrison served as an assistant coach with the Celtics from 2017-21 under Brad Stevens. Previously, he was head coach of the Celtics’ NBA G League affiliate the Maine Red Claws from 2014-17, leading Maine to a 35-15 record and winning the Dennis Johnson Coach of the Year Award in his first season. A native of Prince Edward Island, Canada, Morrison originally joined the Celtics organization as a player development coach for the Red Claws in 2013.
“This is an exciting time for the Stars and our organization as a whole,” Zanik said. “Scott is a terrific basketball mind with an outstanding track record of player development and someone who understands the importance of establishing culture. He is a perfect fit for what we are trying to accomplish with our G League program.”
Newman served as the Stars’ assistant general manager last season. He enters his ninth season as part of the Jazz organization and also holds the role of Jazz director of scouting. A native of New Orleans, La., Newman locally attended Cyprus High School as a two-sport athlete in football and basketball, and then graduated from the University of Utah. As Stars GM, Newman succeeds Bart Taylor who is now Jazz vice president of player personnel.
“Marquis is someone who has been with our club for several years and has grown immensely in every role due to his work ethic, basketball acumen and commitment to the team. It’s a testament to the importance of internal growth within our organization,” said Jazz general manager Justin Zanik. “He has a tremendous eye for talent, and we have the utmost confidence in his ability to locate the kind of players the Jazz want to bring in and develop. We are thrilled to have Marquis take on this new role.”
The Long Island Nets, the NBA G League affiliate of the Brooklyn Nets, have acquired the returning player rights to Loudon Love from the Texas Legends in exchange for Long Island’s second round pick in the 2023 NBA G League Draft.
The trade is not subject to a physical.
Love (6’8”, 260) appeared in eight regular season games (all starts) with the Legends during the 2021-22 season, recording averages of 8.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals in 20.2 minutes per game. He also appeared in 14 games for Texas during the 2021 NBA G League Showcase Cup, averaging 8.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 blocks in 25.5 minutes per game. The Geneva, Ill., native played four collegiate seasons (2017-21) at Wright State, recording career averages of 14.9 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 steals in 27.3 minutes per game in 120 games (119 starts). Love received Horizon League Player of the Year and First Team All-Conference honors during his final season with the Raiders.
The Long Island Nets, the NBA G League affiliate of the Brooklyn Nets, have named Shawn Swords, Lance Harris and Travis Voigt as assistant coaches on Head Coach Ronnie Burrell’s staff.
Swords joins Long Island after spending the last 15 seasons (2007-2022) as head coach at Laurentian University in Ontario, Canada, where he also played five collegiate seasons (1992-97). Prior to beginning his coaching career, he played professionally overseas for a decade (1997-2007) in France and Italy and on Team Canada, including playing for his country at 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
Harris enters his second season as an assistant coach with Long Island. He spent the 2020-21 season with the Brooklyn Nets as a video seasonal assistant. Harris previously spent one season (2019-20) as an assistant coach at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo. Prior to beginning his career in basketball operations, he played professionally overseas for more than a decade (2007-19) in Slovenia, France, Turkey, Russia, Italy, Ukraine and Greece following four collegiate seasons (2003-07) at Kansas State.
Voigt enters his first season with the LI Nets after spending the 2021-22 season as director of basketball operations with the NBA G League’s Sioux Falls Skyforce. He originally joined the Skyforce staff ahead of the 2019-20 season as a basketball operations assistant and served in the same role the following season. Voigt previously spent two seasons overseas (2017-19) as a player development coach for the Shanxi Flame, Shaanxi Wolves and the Hebei Win Power in China. Prior to beginning his career in basketball operations and player development, he played four collegiate seasons (2014-18) at North Central University.
Andrew Cobian and Jonathan D’Angelo rejoin Long Island this season as head player development and video coordinator and head athletic trainer, respectively. The Nets have also named Tevin Baskin as assistant player development and video coordinator.
London Johnson, a top point guard in the class of 2023, has signed with NBA G League Ignite, NBA G League Ignite General Manager Anthony McClish announced today. Johnson is ranked by ESPN at the No. 32 overall prospect in the class of 2023.
“It’s always been my dream to play in the NBA, and I’m thrilled about this opportunity to take a big step forward and continue the journey in the G League, where I’ll get to learn from great coaches and enhance my skills alongside and against elite talent with Ignite,” Johnson said. “I can’t thank my family, trainers, and AAU and high school coaches enough for their support in helping me along the way.”
Johnson, from Norcross, Ga., led Norcross High to the Georgia High School Association’s 7A state title in March. He was tabbed a Gatorade Player of the Year finalist and named to the Atlanta Tip-Off all-metro team and the Gwinnett Tip-Off all-county team.
A dual citizen of both the U.S. and Jamaica, Johnson represented Jamaica in 2021 FIBA Centrobasket U17 action in Mexico, where he averaged 36 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 4.0 steals in five games. He shot 56 percent from the field and led the tournament in points and steals. Johnson was named to the 2021 FIBA U17 CentroBasket Championship All Star Five.
Johnson will be eligible for the 2024 NBA Draft and follows Scoot Henderson (2021-present) as the second Draft-eligible prospect to sign with Ignite for two seasons. Along with Johnson and Henderson, the Ignite roster that includes four other Draft-eligible players in Efe Abogidi, Sidy Cissoko, Mojave King and Leonard Miller. He’ll join the team for two preseason games this week against Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92, set for Tuesday, Oct. 4 and Thursday, Oct. 6 at Ignite’s new home at The Dollar Loan Center. The games air live on ESPN2 and the NBA App.
The Cleveland Charge of the NBA G League have announced the staff that will serve in support of Head Coach Mike Gerrity for the 2022-23 season. Chris Darnell returns as Associate Head Coach and Kendall Chones returns as an Assistant Coach. New additions for 2022-23 include Omar Cook & D.J. Ham as Assistant Coaches, Daniel Gibson as Assistant Coach Program Apprentice/Scout, Willie Williams as Video Coordinator, and Jamie Pasquin as Strength & Conditioning Coach.
Omar Cook joins the Charge on the heels of a successful 22-year professional basketball career that included stints in the NBA and NBA G League as well as playing professionally in over half a dozen countries internationally. Cook has led five different leagues in assists in a season and has been part of two FIBA Champions League winning teams. The Bronx, NY native was a McDonalds All-American and First-Team Parade All-American at Christ the King HS and starred at St. John’s University before being drafted by the Orlando Magic in 2001.
D.J. Ham comes to the Charge after spending the past four seasons as an Assistant Coach at his alma mater, Northwood University, where he primarily focused on the program’s offensive schemes and player development with the guards. After completing his four-year career with the Timberwolves, Ham played professionally for a year in Germany before beginning coaching experiences at the high school and collegiate level. He is the son of Los Angeles Lakers Head Coach and 10-year NBA veteran Darvin Ham.
Daniel Gibson returns to Cleveland as part of the NBA Assistant Coaches Program, where the league places an aspiring coach/front office member with a NBA G League team in an opportunity to continue their growth. “Boobie” starred for the Cavaliers in nearly 400 games over seven seasons, memorably providing a spark with 31 points in the closeout victory of the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals. Gibson played two years collegiately at Texas, where he was Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2005 and Honorable Mention All-America his sophomore year.
Wille Williams will serve the Charge as Video Coordinator after spending the previous nine seasons with the Cavaliers working in basketball operations. Williams started out as a game night team attendant and worked his way up to assistant equipment manager, supporting the Cavs team with travel and logistics.
Jamie Pasquin has been added to the Charge staff as the new Strength and Conditioning Coach after most recently serving as the athletic performance coach at Creo Health and Performance for the last two years. Pasquin also brings four years of collegiate experience in the field, leading 21 different Division I sports.
The Long Island Nets, the NBA G League affiliate of the Brooklyn Nets, have named J.R. Holden as general manager and Ronnie Burrell as head coach. The team has also named Matt MacDonald as assistant general manager.
“J.R., Ronnie and Matt bring extensive experience to Long Island, and we’re thrilled to have them lead the Long Island Nets,” said Brooklyn Nets General Manager Sean Marks. “They have all grown tremendously as individuals during their time in the Nets organization and have shown what it takes to identify and develop promising players throughout their careers. We look forward to seeing how they’ll shape the next generation of prospects that play on Long Island.”
Holden becomes the third general manager in team history after spending the past three seasons as director of pro personnel for the Brooklyn Nets. He originally joined the Nets after spending the 2018-19 season as a scout with the Philadelphia 76ers. Prior to his stint with the Sixers, Holden spent four years with the Detroit Pistons as an international and college scout (2014-16), and the franchise’s director of international scouting (2016-18). The Pittsburgh native played 13 professional seasons overseas (1998-2011), including nine years (2002-11) with CSKA Moscow, where he was part of nine straight Russian League championship teams. Holden also appeared in eight straight EuroLeague Final Fours, winning two titles, and was named to the EuroLeague’s 2001-10 All-Decade Team. The Bucknell University alumnus became a Russian citizen in 2003 and helped lead Russia to the FIBA EuroBasket 2007 championship.
Burrell becomes the sixth head coach in team history and rejoins the Nets organization after spending the 2019-20 season as an assistant coach with Long Island and the 2018-19 season as a player development and video assistant with Brooklyn. Most recently, Burrell spent the 2021-22 season as an assistant coach with the College Park Skyhawks in the NBA G League and the previous season as a player development coordinator with the Chicago Bulls. Prior to joining the Nets in 2018, Burrell worked as a graduate assistant with the men’s basketball team at Florida Atlantic University while earning his Master of Business Administration. The Montclair, N.J., native previously played 11 professional seasons (2005-2016) in France, Germany and Poland after a four-year collegiate playing career (2001-05) at UNC Greensboro.
MacDonald becomes the third assistant general manager in team history after spending the last two seasons as scouting operations coordinator for the Brooklyn Nets. He originally joined the Nets during the 2018-19 season as a basketball operations assistant. Prior to beginning his professional career, MacDonald played two collegiate seasons (2013-15) at Fairleigh Dickinson before transferring to University of Pennsylvania, where he was named team captain for his final two seasons (2016-18).
Australia’s Mojave King, a graduate of the NBA Global Academy, and Canadian forward Leonard Miller have signed with NBA G League Ignite, NBA G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim announced today.
The duo will be part of an Ignite roster that features potential top prospect for the 2023 NBA Draft Scoot Henderson, French U18 National Team star Sidy Cissoko and Nigeria’s Efe Abogidi.
More on each signee is below:
MOJAVE KING
The 6-5 guard spent the previous two seasons in the National Basketball League’s (NBL) Next Stars program, playing for the Cairns Terrapins and Adelaide 36ers. His most recent action came this summer with the Southland Sharks, where he averaged 18.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 16 games.
Born in New Zealand but raised in Australia, King joined the NBL’s Next Stars Program after attending the NBA Global Academy in Canberra, Australia, which serves as the NBA’s hub for top high school-age prospects from outside the U.S. During his time at NBA Global Academy, King helped his team win several high-profile international events, including the 2019 NBA Academy Games in Atlanta, Georgia, and the 2020 Torneo Junior Ciutat de L’Hospitalet in Barcelona, where he averaged a tournament-best 19.2 points and 13 points, respectively.
King becomes the fourth NBA Academy graduate to sign with Ignite, joining fellow Australian Dyson Daniels, the eighth pick in the 2022 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Pelicans, India’s Princepal Singh and fellow 2022-23 Ignite signee Abogidi.
LEONARD MILLER
Miller was the youngest participant in the NBA’s pre-draft process this spring, including the NBA Draft Combine in May, before electing not to enter this year’s draft.
A standout prospect from Scarsborough, Miller most recently joined Canada’s U23 squad in July’s Globl Jam international showcase. In April, he teamed up with fellow Ignite signee Cissoko on the World Select squad at the 2022 Nike Hoop Summit, where Miller scored 11 points, including two 3-pointers, plus five rebounds, two assists and two blocks. He previously represented Canada at the 2019 FIBA U16 Americas Championship, averaging 4.2 points and 1.3 rebounds in 7.1 minutes per game.
The 2022 BioSteel Canadian Boys Player of the Year, Miller averaged 31 points and 11.6 rebounds on his Fort Erie International Academy team to earn Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association Most Valuable Player honors.
Ignite opens the season on Friday, Nov. 4 against Oklahoma City Blue in the team’s new home arena, The Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nev.
The NBA G League has released its complete 2022-23 game schedule, which begins on Friday, November 4.
For the second consecutive season, the schedule will be split into two parts: the 18-game Showcase Cup followed by a 32-game regular season.
Beginning in 2022-23, games that advance to overtime will be determined by a Final Target Score. The winner of an overtime game during the season will be the first team to reach or surpass the Final Target Score, which will be the tied score after four quarters plus seven. For example, if the teams are tied at 100-100, the Final Target Score would be 107. Overtime will be untimed and games will end when a team makes a basket or free throw to reach or surpass the Final Target Score.
Additionally, all 31 games at the 2022 G League Winter Showcase in Las Vegas will utilize a 25-point Final Target Score during an untimed fourth quarter. Under this model, the Final Target Score will be the leading team’s score after three quarters plus 25.
The Showcase Cup begins on Friday, Nov. 4 and culminates with a single-elimination tournament to crown a champion at the 2022 G League Winter Showcase from Dec. 19-22. During the Showcase Cup, teams are separated into four regional pods and play 16 games against one another in NBA G League markets. The teams with the best winning percentage in each regional pod, along with the next four teams across the league with the best win-percentages, will advance to compete for the Showcase Cup during Winter Showcase.
Following the Showcase Cup, team records will reset in advance of the 32-game regular season, which tips off on Dec. 27. At the conclusion of the regular season, the top six teams in each conference will qualify for the NBA G League Playoffs, followed by the NBA G League Finals in April 2023.
The 2021 Showcase Cup champion Delaware Blue Coats open their Showcase Cup defense on Friday, Nov. 4 against the Greensboro Swarm at the Greensboro Coliseum. The 2021-22 NBA G League Champion Rio Grande Valley Vipers will receive their championship rings on Friday, Nov. 11 when they host the Birmingham Squadron at the Bert Ogden Arena.
All 30 NBA G League teams, including NBA G League Ignite and the México City Capitanes, will compete in a total of 50 games during the 2022-23 season. NBA G League Ignite will debut its new home, The Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nev., on Friday, Nov. 4 against the Oklahoma City Blue. Capitanes will host the first-ever NBA G League regular season game played in México at the Arena Ciudad de México when it takes on the defending champion Vipers on Sunday, Nov. 6.