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Greensboro is among 7 cities being considered for an NBA D League team for the Charlotte Hornets. Its has been said its a long shot due to the Greensboro Coliseum's busy schedule but there is a chance a professional basketball team could return to the Gate City. Greensboro had a minor league basketball team back in the early 1990s called the "Greensboro Gators" before that Greensboro was home to the ABA Carolina Cougars in the late 1960s/early 1970s. The ABA was considered major league and was in competition with the NBA until the two merged. Most of the teams folded during the merger but a few ABA teams such as the Indiana Pacers moved on to the NBA.
There is also a new TV deal which means ESPN or ESPN 2 will be broadcasting NBA D league games.
Greensboro is among 7 cities being considered for an NBA D League team for the Charlotte Hornets. Its has been said its a long shot due to the Greensboro Coliseum's busy schedule but there is a chance a professional basketball team could return to the Gate City. Greensboro had a minor league basketball team back in the early 1990s called the "Greensboro Gators" before that Greensboro was home to the ABA Carolina Cougars in the late 1960s/early 1970s. The ABA was considered major league and was in competition with the NBA until the two merged
The NBA has a 'D' league? I just learned something new.
I imagine the coliseum could carve out room in its schedule if need be.
Yep. The "d" is for "development," and it's pretty interesting. It has only been around since 2001 and was reorganized in 2005. 18 teams, with the nearest ones being in Newark, DE and Canton, OH. No teams in the southeast currently. The first few years there were only 8 teams and they were ALL in the southeast: Asheville, Fayetteville, Greenville SC, North Charleston, Mobile, Columbus GA, etc. After the '05 reorg, they were scattered all over.
It's kinda wild. Almost all are wholly owned by an NBA franchise and some are treated like full-on minor league teams (Iowa City's team has pulled as many as 14000 to their games) while others are treated like practice squads (the D-Fenders, the Lakers' d-league affiliate, practices at a training facility with 300 seats).
Given the league's history of fits and starts, it's sorta hard to know how much of a win it would be to land the team. Still, always nice to have another option, right?
While this is by no means an NBA franchise, it would still be nice to have an NBA minor league basketball team in Greensboro. Its been years since the coliseum was home to a minor league sports team. We had an AF2 (Arena Football 2 ) team in the early 2000s and for years Greensboro had a hockey team. Ever since the AHL Carolina Monarchs left Greensboro so the city could temporarily host Carolina Hurricanes games while the RBC Center was being built in Raleigh the city has been without a hockey team. Greensboro had a pretty successful AHL franchise which is the highest level of minor league hockey, like AAA baseball.
One good thing about having an NBA D league team is that games would be broadcast on ESPN.
Greensboro will join the likes of Canton OH, Erie PA, Fort Wayne IN, Sioux Falls SD, Frisco TX, and Newark DE. Quite a prestigious honor! Asheville had a team 10 years ago.
Greensboro Coliseum will join empty arenas all over the country in supporting Development League basketball.
Greensboro will join the likes of Canton OH, Erie PA, Fort Wayne IN, Sioux Falls SD, Frisco TX, and Newark DE. Quite a prestigious honor! Asheville had a team 10 years ago.
Greensboro Coliseum will join empty arenas all over the country in supporting Development League basketball.
Why so negative? Obviously its not the NBA. But, the FACTS are the league has a total attendance of over one million fans, and 38% of the players on NBA rosters have spent time in the Development League. 47 players were called up to the NBA this season. Its just like minor league baseball where you can see young players on their way up.
Sounds like a good fit for a city where basketball is very popular.
Greensboro will join the likes of Canton OH, Erie PA, Fort Wayne IN, Sioux Falls SD, Frisco TX, and Newark DE. Quite a prestigious honor! Asheville had a team 10 years ago.
Greensboro Coliseum will join empty arenas all over the country in supporting Development League basketball.
Easy there. Frisco is part of the DFW metro and Fort Wayne is really close to the same size as GSO or WS. Other d-league cities are also similar in size to GSO (Grand Rapids, Des Moines, Boise) while others are in bigger cities or their suburbs (OKC, LA, Austin) and still others are in small cities.
When Asheville had a team, d-league was exclusively southeastern and much smaller (8 teams).
I think the bigger takeaway is that the NBA itself hasn't decided how much to invest in these teams, and that's understandable. Besides baseball and maybe hockey, does any American sport have a bona fide minor league that people support? College ball generally serves that purpose in basketball and football.
Why so negative? Obviously its not the NBA. But, the FACTS are the league has a total attendance of over one million fans, and 38% of the players on NBA rosters have spent time in the Development League. 47 players were called up to the NBA this season. Its just like minor league baseball where you can see young players on their way up.
Sounds like a good fit for a city where basketball is very popular.
1 million fans in 18 cities...that's awfully low attendance. And it's nothing like minor league baseball that has been in Greensboro for over a century. This would take many years to catch on, and I seriously doubt it will stay around that long.
COLLEGE basketball is very popular. I would be surprised to see 200 people out watching D League basketball.
Easy there. Frisco is part of the DFW metro and Fort Wayne is really close to the same size as GSO or WS. Other d-league cities are also similar in size to GSO (Grand Rapids, Des Moines, Boise) while others are in bigger cities or their suburbs (OKC, LA, Austin) and still others are in small cities.
When Asheville had a team, d-league was exclusively southeastern and much smaller (8 teams).
I think the bigger takeaway is that the NBA itself hasn't decided how much to invest in these teams, and that's understandable. Besides baseball and maybe hockey, does any American sport have a bona fide minor league that people support? College ball generally serves that purpose in basketball and football.
College basketball definitely serves that purpose and is very popular in Greensboro and NC in general. I can't see D League basketball with anything near that kind of support. It's fine to have in Greensboro I guess, but it's certainly nothing fancy.
College basketball definitely serves that purpose and is very popular in Greensboro and NC in general. I can't see D League basketball with anything near that kind of support. It's fine to have in Greensboro I guess, but it's certainly nothing fancy.
I agree that in its present state it's nothing worth having a parade over, even if Greensboro gets it. But who knows? There's been some growth in the league and some of the teams have solid followings. I see no reason to poo-poo it.
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