While the sports world continues to grapple with the realities of COVID-19 and the influence of the pandemic on any potential plans for 2021, the NBA's G League is reportedly determined to push forward on playing next year.
According to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, a key motivation for ensuring the league's upcoming season is played is that of keeping Team Ignite from a disastrous inaugural season.
The developmental team is the new focal point of the Association's developmental league, featuring some of the top prospects in the sport — including Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga, two marquee upcoming names — and granting them an option to play professionally straight out of high school as opposed to going the college route.
Per McMenamin, in an effort to keep the G League season a possibility, the league is considering a plan that would mimic the NBA's recent post-season bubble, looking to Atlanta as the potential site. The league would also play a shortened season from January until March, rather than the usual 50 games between November and March.
Such a plan would not include all 29 of the G League's teams, much like the NBA's bubble only brought 22 teams to Orlando. G League president Shareef Abdur-Rahim has thus asked franchises to volunteer to forgo the season, according to ESPN, with a goal of 14 to 20 of those 29 clubs competing in 2021.
McMenamin reports that 10 teams have said they'll opt out, while "about a dozen" teams — including Team Ignite — have committed to playing a bubble season. Abdur-Rahim and Co. are said to be awaiting word from the rest of the G League's franchises.
The league hasn't staged a game since March 12, when it shut down its 2019-20 season along with the rest of the sports world due to the pandemic. The season was ultimately cancelled as a result of continuing concerns around COVID-19.
