3 former Gonzaga basketball standouts sign with NBA G League Ignite

The NBA G League Ignite announced the signings of former Gonzaga men's basketball guards Jeremy Pargo, David Stockton and Admon Gilder Jr. on Monday.

Pargo, who starred at Gonzaga from 2005-09, will enter his fifth season in the G League after he averaged 10.3 points and 5.1 assists in 26 games with the Windy City Bulls last season. Since going undrafted in 2009, the 6-foot-2 Chicago native played overseas in Russia, Israel, China and Italy. He's played 86 games in the NBA, most recently with Golden State in the 2019-20 season.

Stockton, an eight-year G League veteran with 220 career games played, averaged 13.3 points and 9.0 assists with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Indiana Pacers' G League affiliate squad. He led the league in total assists (199) and set the record for most assists in a game with 19. 

Since going undrafted in 2014, Stockton spent time with a handful of NBA teams though never received much playing time. He signed a 10-day contract with the Sacramento Kings in 2015, only to sign with the G League once the contract expired. He returned to the pros in 2018 with the Utah Jazz where he appeared in three games off the bench.

The 32-year-old signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2019 but was released 10 days later. Similar situations occurred with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2021 and most recently in 2022 when the Indiana Pacers signed Stockton only to release him one week later.

While Stockton and Pargo are veterans, it'll be Gilder's first season in the G League. The 6-foot-4 guard spent one season with the Calgary Surge of the Canadian Elite Basketball League, where he averaged 9.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 23 games. Since his lone season at Gonzaga, Gilder also played overseas in Israel, Poland and Finland.

While most G League teams have an NBA affiliate, the Ignite is a standalone team that was created as an alternative to college basketball in 2020. Four players taken in last spring's NBA Draft were taken out of the Ignite, headlined by Scoot Henderson being drafted No. 3 overall. This season's squad could feature even more pro talent, as Ron Holland and Matas Buzelis are projected to go at the top of the 2024 NBA Draft.