Ignite statement re: Kai Sotto

The NBA G League released this statement about international prospect Kai Sotto.

NBA G League Ignite and international prospect Kai Sotto of the Philippines today announced the mutual decision that Sotto will not re-join Ignite.  With the team’s permission, Sotto left Ignite in January to train with the Philippines National Team at the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifying Tournament in Qatar before that event was cancelled. 

“Kai and the team both understood the challenges for him to rejoin Ignite given the current international travel constraints, quarantine times and health and safety protocols,” said NBA G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim.  “Kai will always be part of the extended Ignite family and we wish him continued success as he pursues his NBA dreams.”

Sotto played in a couple of scrimmages for the Ignite, averaging 5.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks against a group of G League veterans late last year.

Ignite confirm participation in upcoming G-League season

With the NBA officially announcing the upcoming 2020-21 NBA G-League season, the G-League Ignite confirm their participation.

Head coach Brian Shaw had this to say, "We’re excited to be a part of the G League schedule at Disney. 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."

Mainly comprised by prospects who opted to take advantage of this alternative pathway program to the NBA, the Ignite will also have NBA and G-League veterans sprinkled in to help in their development.

Top NBA prospects Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Daishen Nix, and Isaiah Todd, as well as Kai Sotto and Princepal Singh have been training with the Ignite at Walnut Creek, California since August, having four scrimmages under their belt. Rounding out the roster are the likesof Amir Johnson, Reggie Hearn, Brandon Ashley, Cody Demps, and Bobby Brown.

Under normal circumstances, the Ignite would not play a full G-League season and thus will be ineligible for the postseason, the current situation and shortened season will allow the squad to earn their way into the playoffs and potentially win a championship.

The NBA will announce the schedule of the Ignite and the seventeen other NBA G-League teams participating this season at a later date. All matches will take place inside the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, where the league held fort as its campus for the remainder of the 2019-20 regular season and the entirety of the postseason.

G League Select picks Ignite as its name

The G League is set to Ignite

Earlier this month, the NBA G League unveiled the name for the team of their elite prospects.

Called the NBA G League Ignite, the unaffiliated team will be based in Walnut Creek, California, and are under the tutelage of former NBA head coach Brian Shaw. Prospects participating with this program are being prepared for the NBA Draft, as well as with the other life skills necessary once he enters the professional ranks.

League president Shareef Abdur-Rahim shares, "We are thrilled to officially announce NBA G League Ignite as the name of our new team for elite prospects and we think it’s a fitting moniker for a group comprised of young players taking the first step of their promising professional careers. These players have a passion for the game and a desire to develop their skills for the next level and it brings us a lot of pride for them to blaze trails as inaugural members of NBA G League Ignite."

The Ignite already have six players on their initial roster: top high school prospects Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Daishen Nix, Kai Sotto, and Isaiah Todd, and NBA Global Academy graduate Princepal Singh. They are already conducting their on-court preparations, as well as receiving the off-court mentoring and life skills training. Helping them on-court in Walnut Creek are assistant coach Rasheed Abdul-Rahman, video coordinator Jerry Woods, and athletic trainer Pete Youngman.

In releasing the name, the G League also revealed the wordmark of the Ignite, which highlights the bold and capitalized font of the monicker. According to the league, it heralds the team's energetic commitment to basketball development and serves as an anchor for the team's full identity and uniform designs, which are still to be determined.