NBA G League Ignite not ‘bluffing’ on in-game entertainment

The NBA G League Ignite will prove in-game entertainment is no “Bluff” when they kick off their season Friday at Dollar Loan Center in Henderson.

The basketball team — which is calling Southern Nevada home for a second season and is partners with Foley Entertainment Group — is looking to the Golden Knights and Silver Knights for inspiration, adding a mascot, dance team and a pregame ritual to energize fans and add entertainment value.

Bluff

Following in the footsteps of the Golden Knights’ “Chance” and Silver Knights’ “Lucky,” the Ignite’s mascot “Bluff” is based on a Nevada native animal with a name that fits the region in more ways than one.

Bluff is an over-the-top spin on the desert bighorn sheep, the state animal of Nevada. Bluff’s name could be interpreted as an area in nature the animal inhabits, or a move used in poker when a player tries to bet an opponent out of a pot without having the best hand.

Decked out in the team’s purple and black uniform, Bluff’s eyes and horns are fitted with LED lights, which can be programmed to be any color imaginable.

“We wanted to not only pick a character that spoke to the brand, but was also in Southern Nevada,” Gabe Mirabelli, Ignite chief operating officer, said about the bighorn sheep likeness. “Wow, what a perfect fit, then we proposed Bluff to the NBA.”

Shock Squad

The Ignite’s new dance team, the Shock Squad, will interact with fans, perform on the court during stoppages and keep the energy flowing in the building while the Ignite plays.

Aside from their duties during games, the Shock Squad and Bluff will be fixtures throughout the area at various events.

“It’s these little things that we weren’t able to do before that add that extra level,” Mirabelli said. “Like, ‘All right, I’m going to follow the Shock Squad on Instagram,’ or ‘Oh, they’re out in the community doing this appearance. They’re doing that.’ It’s another avenue for us, another way to create a smile.”

Power switch

Looking to officially mark the start of each game, the Ignite wanted to add an element similar to the Golden Knights’ ringing of the siren.

Enter the giant power switch, which will be located courtside in the recently added Power Plant area, where the in-game entertainment will be run out of. There, a notable game attendee, team partner, dignitary or even just a lucky fan will flip the switch, which will get the pregame juices flowing ahead of tipoff.

The flip of the switch “will send us into starting lineups,” Mirabelli said. “Just kind of creating that opening moment for us that we missed out on last year … where everyone knows the show is starting.”

Big-time prospects

The Ignite are a unique development team, owned by the NBA, that allows top-ranked prospects to be paid and receive NBA-level training in preparation for the NBA draft. Last year’s No. 3 overall draft pick, Scoot Henderson, came from the Ignite.

This season, the team features three players who are projected to be high first-round picks, with guard Ron Holland having the potential to be the No. 1 pick, and forwards Matas Buzelis and Izan Almansa also projected to be drafted within the first 14 picks.

Last year, the announcement about the Ignite’s plans to relocate and make Henderson their new home came close to the start of the season. That left little time for the team to create in-game experiences.

Then the team hosted a VGK night that mixed in the Golden Knights and Silver Knights’ mascots, dancers and performers. The success of that promotion cemented for the Ignite that they needed their own version.

“You see all these things happening and you’re like, ‘Whoa,’ ” said Brian Barber, manager of game entertainment for the Ignite. “That added to that one game, I think locked in to everybody’s mind that we need it.”

Ignite executives worked for the past several months to come up with the in-game experience and are debuting it Friday in the season opener against the Ontario Clippers.

“These are things NBA teams do,” Mirabelli said. “It’s how you grow your brand. It’s getting people excited about more than exclusively coming to the game to watch basketball. … We want to leave you with a smile no matter what the outcome is.”

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.