On Friday, the NBA announced that the G-League will be bubbling in Orlando at the ESPN World Wide Sports Complex, just like the NBA, for this upcoming season. 17 teams have chosen to join the bubble, giving opportunity to various former NBA players to re-establish themselves in the league. The first game is scheduled for February 8 and teams are expected to have 12-15 regular season games before the tentative playoffs begin on March 5. The dates are tentatively scheduled, as always, in case of any safety protocols that need to be performed.
The G-League’s restart will provide many familiar names with the opportunity to make it back into the league. Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga will lead the names from the G-League Ignite roster, as players who previously signed with the team instead of playing NCAA or internationally. Unlike other G-League seasons, this year will also feature former stars. We can expect to see names such as Michael Beasley (yes, THAT Michael Beasley), 2-time NBA Champion Mario Chalmers, Oshae Brissett, Shabazz Muhammed, NCAA Champion Emeka Okafor, Allonzo Trier, Lance Stephenson, and participating in this year’s bubble.
Let’s not get this twisted, the G-League bubble will not get the same type of attention or notoriety that the NBA Bubble got throughout the summer into the fall. But, nonetheless, the G-League bubble will do what the G-League has done for years. It gives players the opportunity to make it [back] to the NBA, a lifelong goal for so many players. In a year where the global pandemic still reigns, NBA teams will be looking for G-League talent to fill the end of rosters and to take the next step. Who knows, this bubble could produce the next Fred VanVleet or Kendrick Nunn.
