Category: G League

G League blog

Key info on the 2022-23 NBA G League season

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.

Sidy Cissoko signs with G League Ignite team

Guard Sidy Cissoko, a standout international prospect from France, has signed with NBA G League Ignite, NBA G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim announced today. A member of the French U18 National Team, Cissoko becomes the first European-born prospect to join Ignite.

Cissoko played the 2021-22 season with Iraurgi Saski Baloia in the second division of the Spanish Basketball League while on loan from Saski Baskonia, also in Spain. He was selected to play for the World Select Team in the 2022 Nike Hoop Summit, a matchup between top U.S. high school seniors and elite 19-and-under players from around the world. Cissoko recorded three points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals in the game, which took place in April in Portland, Ore.

Last August, Cissoko competed with France at the 2021 FIBA U18 European Challengers. He averaged 7.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.4 steals in five games.

Cissoko will represent France at the 2022 FIBA U18 European Championship in Turkey (July 30 to Aug. 7) before joining Ignite in August. He will be part of a roster that includes 2023 NBA Draft prospects Scoot Henderson, a guard who is returning for his second season with Ignite, and Efe Abogidi, an NBA Academy graduate and former Washington State forward.

Efe Abogidi signs with G League Ignite

Forward Efe Abogidi, an NBA Academy graduate and standout at Washington State, has signed with NBA G League Ignite, NBA G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim announced today.

“NBA Africa offered me a platform to begin my journey, and I am so thankful for the opportunities that NBA Academy and Washington State provided me,” Abogidi said. “It is with gratitude and excitement that I join NBA G League Ignite and begin my career as a professional basketball player.”

Abogidi joins NBA G League Ignite after playing two seasons at Washington State. As a sophomore in 2021-22, he appeared in all 37 games (29 starts) and averaged 8.1 points and team highs of 5.8 rebounds and 1.78 blocks in 20.8 minutes. A Pac-12 All-Defensive Team Honorable Mention selection, the 6-10 Abogidi ranked second in the conference in blocks per game. He also tied for the team lead with three double-doubles, including a career-high 21 points and 14 rebounds against Washington on Feb. 23.

In 2020-21, Abogidi averaged 8.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.33 blocks in 24.4 minutes in 27 games and earned a spot on the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team. He ranked fourth in the Pac-12 in rebounds per game.

A native of Nigeria, Abogidi earned a scholarship to attend NBA Academy Africa, an elite basketball training center in Senegal for the top prospects from throughout Africa and the first of its kind on the continent, in January 2017.

In June 2017, Abogidi transitioned to the NBA Global Academy in Canberra, Australia, which serves as the NBA’s hub for top prospects from the league’s academies. Abogidi is the first NBA Academy Africa alumnus to sign with Ignite and the third NBA Academy graduate overall, following India’s Princepal Singh (NBA Academy India; NBA Global Academy) and Australia’s Dyson Daniels (NBA Global Academy).

Abogidi joins guard Scoot Henderson on Ignite’s roster for the 2022-23 season, which will be the third season for the program. Ignite’s alumni include six NBA Draft picks, including three from the 2022 NBA Draft in fellow NBA Academy graduate Dyson Daniels (No. 8, New Orleans Pelicans), MarJon Beauchamp (No. 24, Milwaukee Bucks) and Jaden Hardy (No. 37, Sacramento Kings to Dallas Mavericks). Jalen Green (No. 2, Houston Rockets) and Jonathan Kuminga (No. 7, Golden State Warriors) were top-10 picks in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Craig Randall II wins 2021-22 G League Most Improved Player award

Long Island Nets guard Craig Randall II has been named the 2021-22 NBA G League Most Improved Player, the NBA G League announced today.

The award, which honors the player who demonstrates the most significant improvement during the season, was voted on by NBA G League head coaches and general managers.

In his first NBA G League season, Randall (6-4, 185, Tennessee-Martin) averaged 26.7 points, 6.2 assists and 5.5 rebounds in 27 regular-season games. He finished second in the voting for the 2021-22 Kia NBA G League Rookie of the Year Award.

Randall earned a spot on the Nets’ roster in October 2021 after participating in a local tryout. He was named the NBA G League Player of the Month for games played in February, becoming the first local tryout player to earn Player of the Month honors.

Earlier in the regular season, Randall was named the NBA G League Player of the Week for games played from Jan. 5-9 after scoring 40 points against the College Park Skyhawks on Jan. 5 and 44 points against the Greensboro Swarm on Jan. 7.

Prior to the regular season, Randall averaged 11.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 14 games for Long Island during the 2021 NBA G League Showcase Cup.

Delaware Blue Coats forward Braxton Key and Skyhawks forward Justin Tillman finished in second and third place, respectively, in the voting for the 2021-22 Kia NBA G League Most Improved Player Award.

Andre Ingram wins 2021-22 G League Sportsmanship Award

The NBA G League announced today that South Bay Lakers guard Andre Ingram has been selected as the winner of the 2021-22 NBA G League Sportsmanship Award, which honors the player who best represents the ideals of character and conduct as a teammate on the court and in the locker room.

Ingram becomes the second two-time winner of the award in NBA G League history, having previously received the honor for the 2009-10 season. Each NBA G League team nominated one player for the 2021-22 award, and Ingram was ultimately selected as the winner by his fellow NBA G League players.

The Kia NBA G League Sportsmanship Award trophy is named after the late Jason Collier, who exemplified the qualities of a great teammate during his career in the NBA G League and the NBA. A 2003-04 All-NBA G League First Team selection, Collier was preparing to begin his sixth NBA season at the time of his death in 2005.

Ingram, who just completed his 13th NBA G League season, is a fixture atop the NBA G League record books, ranking first all-time in games played (474) and minutes (11,699), third in points (4,533) and fourth in field goals made (1,515). He also holds the all-time NBA G League record for most three-pointers made (845), while sitting in fifth place all-time in three-point percentage (44.9). The Richmond, Virginia native appeared in six career NBA games for the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.

Ingram’s energy off the bench as a player and mentor helped South Bay achieve one of their most productive seasons in franchise history. The team started strong with a 10-4 record in the Showcase Cup followed by a 21-11 record in the regular season, earning a three-seed in the Western Conference and advancing to the Western Conference Semifinals. Ingram’s leadership was pivotal in the development of the team’s young players as South Bay finished the season with eleven NBA call-ups, the second most in the G League.

G League: Jordan Crawford is back on the Long Island Nets

The Long Island Nets, the NBA G League affiliate of the Brooklyn Nets, have reacquired guard Jordan Crawford from the available player pool to replace guard Tyrone Wallace while he plays for the New Orleans Pelicans on a 10-day contract.

Crawford (6’5”, 195) was previously acquired by Long Island on Dec. 30 and appeared in eight games (two starts) with the team this season, averaging 13.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 29.4 minutes per contest prior to being waived on Jan. 31.

The 33-year-old has also appeared in 281 career NBA games (99 starts) across six seasons with New Orleans (2016-18), Boston (2013-14), Golden State (2014), Washington (2011-13) and Atlanta (2010-11), recording averages of 12.2 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 24.4 minutes per game. Crawford has also appeared in 53 career NBA G League games (27 starts) over three seasons with the Grand Rapids (2016-17), Fort Wayne (2014-15) and Long Island (2021-22), averaging 21.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.2 steals in 30.6 minutes per contest. Additionally, Crawford has played five seasons (2014-21) internationally in China, Germany, Israel, Russia and Turkey.

In G League, Long Island Nets add Thon Maker

The Long Island Nets, the NBA G League affiliate of the Brooklyn Nets, have acquired center Thon Maker from the available player pool. In a related move, Long Island requested waivers on forward Chris Walker.

Maker (7’0”, 221) has appeared in 263 career NBA games (65 starts) across five seasons with Milwaukee (2016-19), Detroit (2018-20) and Cleveland (2020-21), recording averages of 4.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in 13.8 minutes per game. Most recently, he spent the 2021-22 season overseas in the Israeli Basketball Premier League with Hapoel Jerusalem Basketball Club, where he averaged 3.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 14.8 minutes per contest over six games. The South Sudan native was selected by Milwaukee with the 10th overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft. He earned Gatorade Virginia Boys Basketball Player of the Year honors after his sophomore season in high school at Carlisle School in Martinsville, Va., before transferring to Athlete Institute in Ontario, Canada.

Walker was selected by Long Island with the 20th pick in the second round of the 2021 NBA G League Draft. In 11 games with the Nets this season, Walker averaged 1.8 points and 2.2 rebounds in 6.5 minutes per contest.