The New Orleans Pelicans are Flying Into Birmingham
Birmingham will soon have their own basketball team in the NBA's G League.
The Erie Bayhawks, who are currently located in Pennsylvania, are relocating to the Magic City and starting play this winter. According to NBA.com, The New Orleans Pelicans started planning the move around 2018, however Legacy Arena underwent renovations, holding off the move until this year. The move helps the Pelicans with the ability to get players from the G League team to the NBA team with relative ease.
When asked about the convenience of having the team closer, Trajan Langdon, the GM of the Pelicans said, "We’ll be able to get guys in a car in the morning or the next day, to be able to participate in a game or a practice...If we are full strength in New Orleans, we can get a guy back to Birmingham for a game that night. It’s super exciting."
This will be the first ever NBA affiliated team in Birmingham, and GM David Lane was very excited for the team to arrive. "Birmingham has a true sports track record...Looking at television markets, Birmingham is the highest in the region for NBA games. We knew that there is an appetite here for professional basketball.”
As of right now, the team is unnamed, but that will change with time. Langdon however, is ready for the team to be playing. "We’re looking forward to integrating ourselves into the fabric of the Birmingham community, particularly the downtown community...For professional sports teams, the more people get to know the players, the more connected they feel to it. It’s super exciting to get in there and entrench ourselves there.”
Tip off will be soon for the franchise, and it's certainly exhilarating for the city.
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