SKYFORCE ANNOUNCES COMPLETE 2021-22 SEASON SCHEDULE

Sioux Falls, SD – The Sioux Falls Skyforce announced today its official schedule for the 2021-22 NBA G League season, presented by POET. Skyforce basketball is set to make its return to the Sanford Pentagon for the first time since March, 2020 and will do so in a season marked by an entirely new format.

First, Sioux Falls fans will get an early glimpse at this year’s Skyforce roster in a season-opening exhibition matchup with the G League Ignite on Sunday, October 31 at 3:00 PM CT. The Ignite, who joined the NBA G League prior to the 2020-21 single-site season, is a team comprised of elite high school prospects and NBA veterans.

The complete 2021-22 schedule includes the normal slate of 50 games, featuring 24 home games, 24 road matchups and two neutral site competitions. However, the G League has implemented an innovative two-part structure in order to create additional excitement and competition throughout the year. The Force will first compete in 14 games as part of the inaugural Showcase Cup, followed by a traditional 36-game regular season. More information about each segment of the upcoming season is below.

Showcase Cup and Showcase Cup Championship:

All 29 G League franchises, along with the G League Ignite, will begin the season by competing in a 14-game Showcase Cup. Teams will be broken up into four, regional pods in which the first 12 games of the Showcase Cup will be played. These games will be hosted in home markets, meaning the Skyforce will host home games as it normally would leading up to the NBA G League Winter Showcase in December. After the first 12 games, the team with the best winning percentage from each pod, along with the four next-best teams, will enter a single-elimination tournament to be played at the Winter Showcase, culminating in a trophy and a monetary prize for the winning team. Teams who do not qualify to compete for the Showcase Cup Championship will play two games outside of the tournament format as a part of the Winter Showcase.

Regular Season Format:

Following the Showcase Cup Championship, NBA G League team records will reset, and a traditional 36-game regular season will be played. For the Skyforce, the slate of regular season games tips off with a road matchup in Santa Cruz with the Warriors on December 29. For this portion of the season, teams will be split into Eastern and Western Conferences, with 2022 playoff participation based solely on records within the 36-game regular season. The top six teams from each conference will advance to the playoffs, culminating in a traditional NBA G League Finals matchup to determine the league’s champion.

Two of the league’s newest teams, the Ignite and Capitanes de la Ciudad de Mexico, will be participating in the 14-game Showcase Cup, but will not be participating in the ensuing 36-game regular season. Fans in Sioux Falls will have the opportunity to see the Ignite in person prior to the season’s official start but will have to wait to see the Capitanes in action for at least one more season.

Information regarding single-game tickets will be released at a later date. Season tickets and flex packs for the 2021-22 season are on sale now. For more information, contact a representative at 605-332-0605 or stop into the Skyforce offices at 2131 S. Minnesota Ave.