While Thursday brought good news about the imminent resumption of the NBA season, it also brought bad news for those hoping the G League might also wrap up its slate.
League president Shareef Abdur-Rahim announced that the remainder of the season would be canceled.
The Utah Jazz’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, finish the truncated campaign with a record of 30-12 — the best record in the Western Conference and the second-best record in the league, behind only the Wisconsin Herd’s mark of 33-10.
The G League regular season had originally been scheduled to wrap up March 28, but their season was put on indefinite hiatus March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
This had been the Stars’ most successful season since the former Idaho Stampede club relocated to Utah prior to the 2016-17 season.
“While disappointing, we fully support the NBA G League’s announcement canceling the remainder of the 2019-20 season,” Stars President Jonathan Rinehart said in a statement. “We know this was an extremely hard decision driven by many factors, but a necessary one, as the health and safety of our community is paramount.
“I am grateful to our players, coaches and staff for their remarkable efforts and contributions over the course of the season, and especially to our fans and partners for their tremendous support,” Rinehart added. “We would have enjoyed competing for a championship following the most successful season in Stars history, but now we turn our focus to returning to the court for the 2020-21 campaign.”
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that the G League paid its players in full — in spite of the 17 days of missed action — and even extended their health benefits.
Over the next few weeks, the NBA G League is expected to announce its season award winners, including the Most Valuable Player, Coach of the Year and Rookie of the Year.
“While canceling the remainder of our season weighs heavily on us, we recognize that it is the most appropriate action to take for our league,” Abdur-Rahim said in a statement. “I extend my sincere gratitude to NBA G League players and coaches for giving their all to their teams and fans this season. And to our fans, I thank you and look forward to resuming play for the 2020-21 season.”
