The Charlotte Hornets announced today that the franchise will create a D-League team and they are looking at 7 locations in the Carolinas to house it.
Asheville, Fayetteville, Greensboro and Raleigh, North Carolina, as well as Charleston, Columbia and Greenville, South Carolina are all on the list of prospective locations.
“This is a very exciting time for us,” said Hornets Sports & Entertainment President & COO Fred Whitfield. “The decision to take steps toward launching our own D-League club is yet another example of our owner’s long-term commitment to our franchise and continues to show his willingness to invest in the resources needed to improve our basketball team. A D-League team would also allow us to continue to expand the Hornets brand regionally by having a presence in an additional market.”
“Having our own D-League team would provide us with the best opportunity to develop our young players, which is paramount in today’s NBA,” said Hornets General Manager Rich Cho. “This move would allow us to dictate how the team is run, including using the same offensive and defensive sets, play calls and philosophies as the Hornets do. It would also provide for a seamless and easy transition when moving players between our team and the D-League affiliate.”
Hornets Sports & Entertainment hope to have the new D-League affiliate up and running by 2016.
H/T: Charlotte Hornets