Charlotte Hornets acquire 20th NBA D-League team
The Charlotte Hornets have acquired an NBA D-League team, they announced Tuesday.
With the acquisition, the Hornets became the 11th NBA team to own and operate a Development League affiliate, growing the league to 20 teams.
“This is an important step for our franchise,” Hornets sports and entertainment chairman Michael Jordan said in a release. “By operating our own club, it will be a seamless transition for our players, coaches and front office when we assign a player because the NBA D-League team will follow the same principles and run the same sets as the Hornets. Placing the team in Greensboro also allows us to expand the Hornets’ brand to another city in our region that has a great basketball tradition.”
While the team name has yet to be determined, the Hornets have selected the Greensboro Coliseum Complex in Greensboro, N.C. as their D-League home. The team will play 24 home games beginning in 2016.
“We want a place where the fans have a passion for the game of basketball and will support our team,” Hornets president Fred Whitfield said Tuesday in a press conference.
The Hornets also announced that Steve Swetoha, who was previously the president of the WNBA’s Tulsa Shock, would be Charlotte’s D-League team president. Swetoha formerly worked with the Hornets organization as the senior vice president of ticket sales and services for the then-Charlotte Bobcats.
Ticket information for the team’s inaugural season will be announced in January 2016.
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