NBA G League Next Up Game returns to Indianapolis during All-Star weekend for second-ever installment
INDIANAPOLIS — The NBA G League Next Up Game, an event that debuted at 2023 NBA All-Star weekend, will return for a second season in 2024.
It will take place in the Indiana Convention Center on Sunday, February 18 at G League Park during the NBA crossover event. Some of the top G League players will participate in the event.
28 G Leaguers will participate in the event, including 10 that are selected by a fan vote. The other 18 will be made up of eight players on the G League Ignite, one player from the Indiana Mad Ants as the hosting city, and nine other top talents in the G League. More Mad Ants players could end up in that final group of nine.
The 28 players will be split into four teams and play in a tournament with a bracket-style format. There will be three games in total. Fan voting for the event began on January 2 and ends on January 23.
Last year, with the game in Salt Lake City, Mad Ants guards Trevelin Queen and Gabe York participated in the event. They were a part of the winning team, and Queen finished with 19 points in the final game.
"Great opportunity to showcase what I can do," the now-Orlando Magic guard said of the Next Up game last season.
This year's action will be streamed on the G League's YouTube page and the NBA App. The Mad Ants best players are their shared two-way contract players with the Pacers — Kendall Brown, Isaiah Wong, and Oscar Tshiebwe have all been solid this season. Tshiebwe, in particular, seems like a player with a good chance at reaching the event. Of the players not on two-way contracts, Kyle Mangas, Elfrid Payton, and Jordan Bell would be the leaders for Indiana.
The Mad Ants are 5-4 so far in the G League regular season. They were fantastic in December and head coach Tom Hankins won G League Coach of the Month. Indiana will be a team to watch ahead of the G League Next Up game in their backyard.
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