Two years ago, the Pistons moved downtown. Soon their G-League team will join them.
The Grand Rapids Drive will relocate to Detroit upon the completion of a new basketball arena at Wayne State, a $25 million project that was approved unamimously on Wednesday by the university's Board of Governors, per multiple reports.
The Pistons will lease the arena from Wayne State for its G-League team's home games. Construction will be completed by the 2021-22 season, according to the
Detroit News.
The 3,000-seat arena will be located on Wayne State property at the corner of Trumbull Street and Warren Avenue. It will be home to the university's men's and women's basketball teams.
HAPPENING NOW... @waynestate Board of Governors have formally approved construction of a new $25-Million basketball arena for the men's and women's teams, to be completed by 2021. The @DetroitPistons will also bring in an NBA G League team to play in the arena. Updates @WWJ950 pic.twitter.com/94drtieyCp
— Jon Hewett (@JonHewettWWJ)
May 1, 2019 With the move to Detroit, the Drive will be located just a couple miles from Little Caesars Arena and the Pistons' new practice facility that is expected to open in September. The Drive have been the Pistons' affiliate since 2014.
The team currently plays it home games at DeltaPlex Arena in Grand Rapids.
"We continue to invest in the success of our franchise and the success of our community," Pistons owner Tom Gores said in a statement. "Bringing a G League team to Detroit delivers on both fronts. It will give our players and coaches the best tools available to maximize performance, and it will add more fuel to the revitalization underway in Midtown and throughout Detroit.”
Construction of Wayne State's new arena will be funded primarly by $20 million in bonds, according to
Crain's Detroit.
