The End of D5

[Ian Noble]

The End of D5

After nearly 16 years I'm sorry to say I have decided it's time to hang it up. This is it guys. There wont be any handing-over to anyone else, this is the end of D5.

It's hard to say why but I've lost interest over the last year or more, not just in D5 but in the NBA, and it's felt like a chore for too long. It's better to burn out than to fade away and I feel like that's what would happen if I kept going or if I handed it over to someone else to run.

I want to give special thanks to both Andrei Kirilenko who has taken on lots of my responsibilities the last few months to keep things going, and of course to Walt Frazier who gave us over a decade's worth of hard worked rating changes that genuinely made the league what it was, that was such a hard job! Thanks also to all the Trade Committee members and Player Agents over the years for your tireless efforts, it's crazy to think how long we deliberated over some player decisions!

Lastly thanks to you all as GMs! It is absolutely insane to think of how many hours we've each poured into this little forum, how long we spent scouting rookies or negotiating trades, how young we were when it all started and how many things have changed around us whilst it kept going! I'm going to miss so many aspects of D5, the community especially and Discord, the long, drawn-out planning of my team and trades, all the crazy, hilarious memorable moments...

It's time to go though. Thank you for the last 16 years of my life, I'll never forget this place. Thank you for all the memories D5ers

[Jared Montini]

Thanks Ian for a hell of a ride! It’s been real.

[Jared Montini]

Could we get a full sim of the last year for closure?

[Arvydas Sabonis]

Sad day
Such an unbelievable community and mad respect for Ian for running this do long

[Chauncey Billups]

The amount of hours I’ve spent on here is unruly. Sad to see it go but understandable 😢

[George Gervin]

All good things must come to an end, and it was a blast! Chauncey Billups hit the nail on the head — my hours count here over the last six years would be absurd, and even with some of the craziness that has popped up over the years, it was great to find a group this passionate about basketball.

Thanks for all the fun times Ian Noble, and everyone else who comprised the staff of D5! The League will be missed.

[Tom Izzo]

I've been in sim leagues for 19 years.

Last year I watched the playoff sims live and literally shouted out loud when I won game 7 against the Jazz, making a fool of myself in the gym.

I pay more attention to the Knicks than any other NBA team because of Brunson, and overall D5 has driven my real life fandom of players/teams for years and it's made me enjoy the sport overall more.

To say I'm sad is an understatement... This is one of my biggest hobbies. You created something special Ian. I was ready to do this until Giannis' son came into the league

[Andrei Kirilenko]

It was a good run. You really built something special here Ian that shaped a lot of our lives. Thank you for your countless hours of dedication, and thank you to everyone for making this community awesome!

[Jerry West]

We all knew it couldn't last forever, and yet it's still a sad moment 😔

Thank you everyone from Ian and Walt who commanded the ship, to Tom for the rivalries. And a special thank you for Larry for taking me in when I knew nothing about sim leagues.

This was an incredibly community, filled with memorable moments, nights on discord and trades.

If no other league appears, I wish you guys success and happiness in your personal life.

[Ian Noble]

Thank you for all the love guys, man it feels very weird for D5 to be ending.

I think I will sim the entire rest of the season out super fast, but I don't think we will count this as a legit season in the archives etc. just a kind of celebration of the end of D5.

I've made all players uninjured. Set your depth charts one last time.

Once the news of this announcement has spread properly I'll make another announcement on Sunday that everyone should set their depth charts in preparation. I'll leave it a few more days then try and sim the entire season and playoffs over the next week or two.

[Hanamichi Sakuragi]

Feb 16, 2024 21:05:40 GMT Ian Noble said:

Thank you for all the love guys, man it feels very weird for D5 to be ending.

I think I will sim the entire rest of the season out super fast, but I don't think we will count this as a legit season in the archives etc. just a kind of celebration of the end of D5.

I've made all players uninjured. Set your depth charts one last time.

Once the news of this announcement has spread properly I'll make another announcement on Sunday that everyone should set their depth charts in preparation. I'll leave it a few more days then try and sim the entire season and playoffs over the next week or two.

I think the other GMs who started a sim league understand why you are not handling it over to others.

It was easily the GOAT sim Ian. Congrats.

One thing though. Please join the sim league that the veterans will soon create. 

[Steve Nash]

Sad day. Thanks for everything Ian and the rest of the league. Haven't been here as long as some of the OGs, but the last 5 years have been amazing. Just like many of you, this league is one of my favourite hobbies and has changed my life for the better. I love basketball as much as I do because of this league.

If anyone else is thinking of starting up another sim league, let me know. I'd be interested in joining!

Thanks again everyone, what a great run. Gonna miss this league a lot

[Glenn Robinson]

Was fun! Thanks for making this league.

P.S. you still owe me a tenure badge

[Alex English]

Damn what a bummer. I'm only a few years away from half my life with D5. Started in high school and now I'm in my 30s. The GOAT sim league and a cool little corner of the internet.

As the Michael Jordan sim league commish Ian Noble, is it too much to hope that 2 retirements also won't be the end for you?

But of course you've committed an incredible amount of time to this project. There's really nothing to do but appreciate it.

[Mike Krzyzewski]

This is so incredibly sad but, as others have said, it has been an amazing run.

Thank you Ian and all the others that have made this the best sim league of all time. I am very privileged to have been a part of it for almost 15 years. Seriously, thank you!

And to whatever veteran that does make the D5 evolution sim league, please 100% count me in!

[Walt Frazier]

I don't think I can really say anything that hasn't already been said. It's not really a shock at this point, and yet, it is a blow.

Entirely understandable, and all I really have to say is - Love you Ian. I hope you're happy, and that's really all that matters. You brought an incredible amount of joy to all of us. Be well, buddy.

[Shane Battier]

End of an era.

I wish it would have lasted longer but I understand why it can be taxing for Ian.

I may not be as vocal as the other guys but I have been really active in terms of staying online and thinking of ways of improving my team. I even enjoyed NBA more because of this community. It's been almost a decade since I've joined D5 and I have enjoyed it very much and I even wrote my thesis centering on D5; that's how much passion I've got for this.

I can't believe this is really the end of D5. Thank you, Ian, and to all the guys who work behind the scenes to create this sim league where basketball fanatics like us can experience what it feels to be a GM of an NBA team.

Salute!

[Amare Stoudemire]

Best Sim league Ever!!

[Chris Mullin]

Ian Noble Thank you. Thank you for everything. It's been a hell of a ride.

It's been said, but you set a bar that will NEVER be reached for Sim leagues. I was fortunate to win a couple of titles here, and while insignificant in the big scheme of things, it meant a lot to me on a personal level.

I had a lot of fun doing this and will truly miss it.




P.S. Steph Curry and KD officially OTB now.

[Arvydas Sabonis]

For anyone wanting to continue in a different league, I'm setting up a new sim league Dynasty24 (will be using BBGM sim engine).

Forums are up and teams can be claimed already, although a lot of details still need to be added in the coming days.

dynasty24.proboards.com/thread/4/welcome-league

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Trading all of my first rounders hit me up

[Shaquille O'Neal]

11 years man! What a ride! Thank you Ian Noble

[Mark Price]

Thank you Ian Noble for all the work you put in. I can't imagine how many hours it takes to run the league. Worst of all, most of the feedback you probably got was complaints (no shots at anyone, that's just how most feedback works).

It's been awesome being able to spend so much time and energy into something that's both meaningless but actually really meaningful to all of us.

It's been fun yelling at all of you guys here at one time or another.

[Ian Noble]

FWIW I am going to work a little on my code to make it open source for other leagues to use.

[Jared Montini]

Feb 21, 2024 10:03:38 GMT Ian Noble said:

FWIW I am going to work a little on my code to make it open source for other leagues to use.

Ian is a true legend

[Ian Noble]

Feb 21, 2024 14:08:57 GMT Jared Montini said:

Feb 21, 2024 10:03:38 GMT Ian Noble said:

FWIW I am going to work a little on my code to make it open source for other leagues to use.

Ian is a true legend

I'll make it open source on the proviso that nobody read through it... ever! It's the code that I wrote which taught me how to code and it's very, very bad