The NBA G League Ignite team landed its second high-profile commitment from the class of 2021 on Saturday as five-star shooting guard Jaden Hardy announced he plans to sign with the professional program. Hardy is considered the No. 3 overall prospect in the 2021 class by the 247Sports Composite rankings and had college offers from Kentucky and UCLA, among others.
Hardy is the second five-star prospect from the class to choose the G League program, which is entering its second season. Power forward Michael Foster, ranked No. 17 overall in the 247Sports Composite, signed with Ignite last month over Florida State and Georgia.
The upstart G League program landed four of the top-20 players from the 247Sports Composite in the 2020 recruiting class as Jalen Green (No. 2), Jonathan Kuminga (No. 4), No. 17 Daishen Nix (No. 17) and Isaiah Todd (No. 20) all chose the route, which allows top prospects to ink lucrative signing bonuses and earn a salary while preparing for the NBA Draft.
Green and Kuminga each solidified their draft stock through the program and are considered top-five players in CBS Sports’ 2021 NBA Draft Prospect Rankings. Nix and Todd are No. 36 and No. 47 in the ranking, respectively, and are also likely to be drafted after their year in the program.
In addition to the group of top high school prospects, the Ignite roster featured young international players and a group of veterans in its inaugural season. The team finished with an 8-7 record and lost to Raptors 905 in the first round of the G League Playoffs.
