The NBA G-League Team that was Set for Shreveport Heads to Birmingham
Just over a year ago, the biggest story in Shreveport surrounded a sports complex that would anchor a Downtown Shreveport development plan. The centerpiece of the public campaign for the plan was the home for the minor league team of the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans. The NBA's minor league is called the G-League, and features NBA prospects, and some of the biggest names in college basketball.
There was a heated debate over the project, as well as Shreveport's historical treatment of sports franchises. But eventually, it all ended with a unanimous Shreveport City Council vote against the project.
At the time, many marked the project's failure as something that would play into this year's Shreveport Mayor's race. Which actually was a theory that didn't play out very well. We're just days away from the race, and there hasn't been much talk about the failure of the "arena" project. But that changed this week.
One of the big question marks that remained around the project was "where do the Pelicans take their G-League team now?" Which was compounded as the Pelicans said they were "moving on" from Shreveport, but never came to an agreement with anyone else. Which appeared to leave a door open for Shreveport.
The Pelicans have reportedly purchased the current G-League team in Erie, Pa, and will be moving them to Birmingham, Alabama in 2022. Solidifying that Shreveport has completely missed out on having a major pro team in their market.
With the ghosts of the G-League debate resurfacing, will there be any effect, or discussion about it, in the days leading to the first round of voting in the Shreveport Mayor's race? Only time will tell.