The New Orleans Pelicans' G League team lands in Kenner, a move away from being the Birmingham Squadron.
Local New Orleans Pelicans fans, get ready for the chance to see some more basketball, as the G-League's Birmingham Squadron is going to be moving closer to the 504.
This past Thursday, Kenner officials voted to approve the move of the team from Birmingham, Ala. to the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner.
Greg Bensel, Senior Vice President of Communications for both the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans, said the following in a statement:
"We have valued our time in Birmingham. It has been an incredible partnership with the city and the arena. As we assess our basketball operations - we have determined that it is best moving forward that the G-League team, Squadron, is located closer to the Pelicans team. We cannot thank the leadership of the BJCC Executive Director and CEO Tad Snider and Mayor Randall Woodfin enough, and of course, the fans that have supported and attended Squadron games during our time in Birmingham. We could not have asked for a better partner."
The Squadron has been the developmental G League affiliate for New Orleans since it was founded in 2019. Back then, they were the Eerie BayHawks. Late in 2021, they moved to Alabama.
The Ponchartrain Center is not currently up to snuff for the standards of a G League team, but it will be receiving a $5 million investment from the Pelicans to help upgrade.
This move will cut the distance between the G League team and the NBA team down from just under 350 miles to just under 15 miles. The Pontchartrain Center, as the name suggests, is right off of Lake Pontchartrain.