G League

Former NBA G League player Chance Comanche won't face the death penalty if found guilty in his ongoing murder trial.

"Today the State announced that they are not seeking the death penalty," his attorney, Gary L. Guymon, said, per ESPN.com's Anthony Olivieri. "We are grateful for this decision. The case will be set for trial where we will make the necessary comments and arguments in Court in anticipation of trial."

A grand jury in Clark County, Nevada, indicted Comanche on March 8 on charges of murder and kidnapping in connection to the death of Maryana Rodgers on Dec. 6. Sakari Harnden, an ex-girlfriend of the 27-year-old, is also facing charges of murder and kidnapping for her role.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department announced on Dec. 17 it had placed Comanche and Harnden into custody.

A day later, C.C. McCandless of FOX5 in Las Vegas reported based on the arrest report the pair "began planning the murder of Rodgers at the end of November and eventually acted on their reported plot when Comanche's team played in Las Vegas."

Comanche and Harnden allegedly told police they were unable to find a third party to kill Rodgers and took matters into their own hands. Per McCandless' report, he said he strangled Rodgers with an HDMI cord "for approximately 10 seconds" and stopped when he could hear her being unable to breathe. Harnden allegedly strangled Rodgers after that.

Believing Rodgers to be dead, Comanche and Harnden left her body in a ditch in Henderson, Nevada. They allegedly attempted to cover their tracks by destroying her cell phone, covering her body with rocks and removing their DNA from the scene.

According to Olivieri, Comanche and Harnden have pleaded not guilty. They will be back in court on April 3, when the start of their trial will be scheduled.

The future of the NBA's G League Ignite has officially been put into question.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver told reporters Saturday ahead of the All-Star Skills Competition at Lucas Oil Stadium that the league intends to re-evaluate the G League Ignite following the introduction of name, image and likeness into college basketball.

Silver said, according to ESPN's Tim Bontemps:

I think given that that's happened, I think we are in the process of reassessing Team Ignite. Because now some of those same players who didn't want to be one-and-done players because they felt it was unfair and they wanted the ability not just to earn a living playing basketball but to do commercial deals that weren't available to them at college, to hire professional agents, an opportunity that wasn't available to them at college, they now -- all of those same opportunities have become available to them.

I'm not sure what the future of Team Ignite will be, because before there was a hole in the marketplace that we thought we were filling before doing that, and now my focus is turning to earlier development of those players.

The NBA launched the Ignite in 2020 as a development program for potential draft prospects to be paid to play basketball.

At that point in time, college athletes weren't being paid and joining the Ignite was considered an attractive option to draft eligible prospects because of the compensation being offered.

The Ignite have developed several high-profile draftees over the last several years, including Scoot Henderson, Dyson Daniels and Jalen Green. Henderson went No. 3 to the Portland Trail Blazers in 2023, Daniels went No. 8 in 2022 to the New Orleans Pelicans and Green went No. 2 in 2021 to the Houston Rockets.

College athletes are not currently paid by their respective programs, but they can sign NIL deals with companies in exchange for significant compensation. For example, USC freshman Bronny James, the son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, has an NIL valuation of $5.8 million, per On3.com.

Bronny is among the 2024 draft eligible prospects, though it's unclear if he intends to declare for the draft or spend another season at USC.

Aside from playing in college or for the Ignite, a number of the NBA's top prospects come from overseas. For example, Frenchman and San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft, and he developed in France's LNB Pro A.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman also has Perth Wildcats forward Alexandre Sarr, JL Bourg-en-Bresse forward Zaccharie Risacher and KK Crvena Zvezda point guard Nikola Topić being selected in the top three of his latest 2024 mock draft.

With college athletes now being able to get an education while being paid, and prospects overseas being eligible for compensation, the Ignite squad has seemingly suffered as a result.

The Ignite have gone 6-31 this season and boast the worst offensive rating (102.6 points per 100 possessions) and net rating (-12.7 points per 100 possessions) in the league, per Bontemps.

That said, it seems like the perfect time for the NBA to re-evaluate the team and search for a path forward.

G League Ignite forward Ron Holland is hoping to separate himself in the race to be the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA draft, and he believes he has skills comparable to two of the league's best two-way players.

When asked who his player comparison would be, Holland told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, "I'd say Mikal Bridges and Jaylen Brown. Guys who can guard the ball and make shots when they need to. They can get whatever they want and be able to guard anybody when the coach needs them to."

A 5-star recruit and the No. 1-ranked power forward in the 2023 class by 247Sports' composite, Holland chose to play for G League Ignite instead of attending Texas. He added that he feels he brings versatility to both ends of the floor that would make him an instant impact player as a rookie in the NBA.

"I think I can impact the game in all types of ways. Anything the coach needs me to do, I'm able to do. That's what's most versatile about me. I can defend, make plays, and guard. I can play point guard and one through five. I can guard one through four. I'm here to do whatever the coach needs me to do and make myself that much more available."

Holland will likely be competing to be selected No. 1 overall with his G League Ignite teammate Matas Buzelis and USC's Isaiah Collier.

"I feel like there are a lot of good players in the draft, but I feel like I'm the one that stands out because of my motor," Holland said. "I don't get tired. There are a lot of things I can do at a very high level."

Ex-NBA G League center Chance Comanche admitted to having a role in the death of Marayna Rodgers, according to C.C. McCandless of FOX5 in Las Vegas.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department announced Sunday it had taken Comanche and Sakari Harnden into custody for the alleged kidnapping and murder of Rodgers.

McCandless provided more details that were revealed in police documents: "According to Harnden's arrest report, the two suspects began planning the murder of Rodgers at the end of November and eventually acted on their reported plot when Comanche's team played in Las Vegas."

Authorities said Comanche and Harnden initially intended to have a third party ultimately murder Rodgers.

"He admitted that they were unable to get anyone to help with the murder, so they crafted their own plan, which included Comanche posing as a 'trick' to schedule a meeting with the victim 'under the direction' of Harnden," McCandless reported. "As part of the scheme, Comanche told Rodgers that he was into 'kinky sex' and wanted to tie both women up in the car."

Comanche reportedly confessed to placing an HDMI cord around Rodgers' neck and "strangling Marayna for approximately 10 seconds with the cord." While he stopped when the woman was having a hard time breathing, Harnden proceeded to strangle her again.

Comanche told police he and Harnden left Rodgers' body in Henderson, Nevada, and intentionally attempted to remove any traces of their presence or her location, per McCandless.

Comanche and Harnden were initially charged with kidnapping, and authorities added a murder charge after Rodgers' remains were found.

He had appeared in 13 games for the G League's Stockton Kings this season. The Kings released the 27-year-old after he was arrested.

The G League's Chance Comanche and his girlfriend are facing open murder charges after the body of 23-year-old Marayna Rodgers was found in the desert near Henderson, Nevada, according to Vanessa Murphy of 8 News Now, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium and Chris Haynes of B/R and TNT.

Comanche was originally arrested by FBI agents on Friday and charged with first-degree felony kidnapping.

The 27-year-old, who played for the Stockton Kings before he was released following his arrest, was suspected in the disappearance of Rodgers, who was last seen in Las Vegas on Dec. 6. The Kings played in Henderson, Nevada the night before, which is about 20 minutes from Vegas.

Sakari Harnden, 19, also was originally charged with first-degree kidnapping in the case and now faces a murder charge.

According to Murphy, "Police learned that Rodgers was out with friends on Dec. 5 and had a pre-arranged meeting with Harnden, who would bring her boyfriend, according to a news release. Detectives suspected foul play and obtained evidence to arrest Comanche and Harnden, police said."

Rodgers had been in Las Vegas on a trip with friends. Per Murphy's report, "Loved ones told the 8 News Now Investigators that Rodgers had a good job and she would never leave her family back home in Washington state or abandon her dogs she had taken with her to Las Vegas."

Comanche played for the Arizona Wildcats in college and went undrafted in the 2017 NBA draft. He's since bounced between the G-League and other leagues around the United States and Europe, though he appeared in one game for the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2022-23 season.

The Texas Legends selected former Denver Nuggets and Duke University forward Jack White with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA G League draft on Saturday.

The Legends, who are the G League affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks, will be White's second G League team, as he spent time with the Grand Rapids Gold last season.

White, 26, is originally from Australia, and he first made his mark in the United States during his four-year stint at Duke from 2016 to 2020.

Primarily serving as a bench player, White averaged 2.7 points and 3.0 rebounds in 103 games for the Blue Devils.

After not getting selected in the 2020 NBA draft, White went back to his home country to play three seasons for Melbourne United of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL).

White won the 2021 NBL title with Melbourne United and went on to sign a two-way contract with the Nuggets last year after performing well in Summer League.

He appeared in 17 regular-season games for the Nuggets in 2022-23, averaging 1.2 points and 1.0 rebound in 3.9 minutes per contest.

Although he did not play in any of their postseason games, White is recognized as an NBA champion, as Denver beat the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals last season.

White performed like a superstar in 14 games for Grand Rapids in the G League last season, though, averaging 20.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.9 three-pointers made and 1.8 assists, while shooting 54.4 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from beyond the arc.

With Texas, White will have a chance to potentially establish himself as a G League All-Star, and that could eventually lead to an opportunity with the Mavs or another NBA team.

The NBA G League is larger than ever.

When the G League tips off the first game of the 2023-24 season on November 10, there will be a record 31 teams thanks to the new addition of Rip City Remix, the Portland Trail Blazers' affiliate.

These teams will begin the season fighting for the Showcase Cup.

After battling through a 14-game in-season tournament, eight final teams compete in the single-elimination 2023 NBA G League Winter Showcase, which the league describes as its "annual in-season scouting event," from December 19 to 22.

After that, records reset, and the 34-game regular season begins December 27.

The top six teams in the G League's East and West conferences will end the season by competing in the NBA G League Playoffs, which lead up to the NBA G League Finals in April 2024.

Before all of that comes the NBA G League Draft, which follows league rearrangement through both an expansion draft and international draft in June. Here's what to look out for this weekend.

NBA G League Draft Info

Date: Saturday, Oct. 28

Time: 1 p.m. ET

Eligible players are at least 18 years old and include college players undrafted by the NBA, players waived by NBA after training camp, and prospects from outside the United States, according to the G League.

Notables in NBA G League Draft Player Pool

Forward Isiaih Mosley, who played three seasons with Missouri State and one with Missouri, passed up on his final year of college eligibility in order to turn pro. Mosley averaged 20.1 points per game in his final two seasons with Missouri State and will remain eligible for the 2024 NBA draft, per DraftExpress.com's Jon Chepkevich.

Guard Teafale Lenard Jr., who committed to Memphis before announcing in July he would pass over joining the Tigers in order to turn pro, was ranked in July as one of the top 10 college basketball defenders in the nation by College Basketball Report after recording 61 blocks for Middle Tennessee State University last season. He will be available in the G League draft, per Chepkevich.

Guard/wing Tray Maddox Jr., a former Cal State Fullerton player who averaged 12.5 points per game in his fifth college season last year for Western Michigan, went unselected in the 2023 NBA Draft and will be available, per No Ceilings NBA's Maxwell Baumbach.

Half of the players on NBA rosters on October 24 to open the 2022-23 season had G League experience, according to the league's website. That list included Scoot Henderson, the No. 3 pick of the 2023 NBA draft and former NBA G League Ignite star now playing for the Portland Trail Blazers.

That means Saturday's draft has the potential to impact not just the G League, but the NBA as well.

The Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA G League are promoting Nick Kerr to the role of head coach, according to The Athletic's Anthony Slater.

Kerr is the son of Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. He joined Santa Cruz's staff as an assistant ahead of the 2021-22 season.

Prior to his move to the G League, Kerr had been with Golden State as a video coordinator and player development coach. He takes over for Seth Cooper, who was head coach of Santa Cruz for two seasons before shifting into a player development role for Golden State this summer.

The Santa Cruz Warriors went 18-14 and narrowly missed out on the G League playoffs in 2022-23.

Kerr played collegiately, first at the University of San Diego before transferring to Cal as a graduate student. He told the San Francisco Chronicle's Connor Letourneau in November 2015 he had a future coaching career in mind when he made the switch to the Golden Bears.

"The 6-foot-3, 180-pound guard uses free moments in practice to pepper [Cuonzo] Martin's staff with questions about coaching philosophy," Letourneau wrote.

Letourneau added that Kerr wanted to "carve out a path separate from his father's," which became tricky when he first took a job with the Warriors and will now be leading their G League affiliate.

But coaching a G League team represents the next step in his coaching journey and could be a springboard for him to get on an NBA bench down the road.

Portland Trail Blazers rookie Scoot Henderson is among the players profiled in a new documentary about life in the NBA G League.

Prime Video released a trailer Tuesday for Destination NBA: A G League Odyssey, which is now available to stream.

"As the 2022-23 season unfolds, a unique group of athletes from diverse backgrounds take you on a journey to passionate basketball locales, including Las Vegas, Mexico City, Detroit, Maine, and Fort Wayne, Indiana, as they navigate the highs and lows of chasing their shared dream of reaching the pinnacle of professional basketball," Amazon Studios said in describing the project.

Henderson joined the growing number of aspiring pros who opted for an alternative path to the NBA rather than the traditional college route. He signed with the G League Ignite team in 2021, when he was just 17.

As a member of the Ignite, the 6'2" guard cemented his standing as one of the top stars in the 2023 NBA draft class. Over 19 games this past season, he averaged 16.5 points, 6.8 assists and 5.3 rebounds. The high-water mark of his year came in an exhibition against Victor Wembanyama and Metropolitans 92 last October, when he finished with 28 points and nine dimes.

Now, Henderson will help the Blazers chart a course in what will in all likelihood be a post-Damian Lillard future. Lillard remains with Portland for now, but a trade is bound to materialize sooner or later.

It looks like Destination NBA: A G League Odyssey will help fans get to know the new franchise cornerstone a little bit better.