With the demise of Ignite program, 18-year-old guard Dink Pate, who is projected as a 2025 NBA first-round pick, is signing with the G-League’s Mexico City Capitanes for next season, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Wednesday.
Pate, a native of Dallas, became the youngest known professional basketball player in American history last year at age 17 when he joined the Ignite.
Because Pate will not turn 19 until the 2025 calendar year, he was not be eligible for the 2024 NBA draft. He committed to spend two years with the Ignite before becoming automatically eligible for the 2025 draft, but the program was shut down after this past season because of the “changing basketball landscape.”
He averaged 8.0 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 23.6 minutes over 31 games for the Ignite last season.
Prior to joining the Ignite, Pate, who stands 6-foot-8 and weighs 194 pounds, played primarily point guard at L.G. Pinkston High School in West Dallas and on the Adidas grassroots circuit with Team Trae Young. He has enviable size coupled with an ideal basketball frame for a playmaker. His dynamic perimeter shooting ability and live-dribble passing prowess give him significant long-term upside to grow into as his decision-making and defensive intensity continue to evolve.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony contributed to this report.