The New Orleans Pelicans will host the Atlanta Hawks in an NBA preseason game at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama on Friday, October 14, at 7 p.m. CT. Legacy Arena is the home court of the Birmingham Squadron, the Pelicans’ NBA G League affiliate.

The preseason game is just the latest way of the Pelicans organization showing how dedicated they are in being a part of the city of Birmingham, according to Pelicans Governor Gayle Benson.

"The decision to launch the Squadron was a commitment by the Pelicans organization to invest in the Birmingham community," said Benson via nba.com. "This Pelicans preseason game in Birmingham is a tangible example of that commitment, and this is just the beginning."

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Birmingham's Mayor, Randall L. Woodfin, also believes that the Pelicans and Hawks game is a big deal for Birmingham, but as a sports city.

"As a basketball fan, I am thrilled to see these amazing teams battle it out," Woodfin said. "As the mayor, I am proud that this event can be enjoyed by our residents and visitors. This just further confirms that Birmingham is a destination for top sports event in our region."

Woodfin's claim of Birmingham being a city that hosts top sports events is backed up by the city preparing to host some huge sporting events in the near and distant future, including the 2022 World Games in July and the first and second rounds of the 2023 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament in March. This is not even mentioning Birmingham hosting games for their USL team, Birmingham Legion FC, their Minor League Baseball team, the Birmingham Barons, as well as just wrapping up hosting every USFL game of the league's 10 week regular season at Protective Stadium and Legion Field.

The Pelicans are coming off of a season where they went 36-46 and made it to the playoffs, where they lost in the first round to the Phoenix Suns in six games. The Hawks went 43-39 last season and matched up against the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs, where they lost in five games.

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