BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — As sports are running rampant in the Magic City, our newest addition of a basketball team must not be overlooked! Finishing their debut season at Legacy Arena, the Squadron is a G League team that is owned and operated by the New Orlean Pelicans. As of the 2020-21 season, the NBA G League consists of 30 teams, 28 of which are either single-affiliated or owned by an NBA team. They were previously known as the D League until acquiring Gatorade as their title sponsor in the 2017–18 season. 

Local basketball stars, John Petty, Jr. from the University of Alabama and Jarod Harper from Auburn University are just two of the players that make up the roster of the Squadron. Harper has played 25 games with the Birmingham Squadron over the 2021-22 G League Showcase and regular season, averaging 21.6 points, 6.4 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 33.6 minutes per game. During the regular season, his 7.4 assists per game are the seventh most in the G League, and he is one of only 13 players averaging 20+ points and 5+ rebounds per game. He was also recently included in the USA World Cup Qualifying Team.

General Manager, David Lane, has been amazed at the support of the community.

“We love the fact that there is so much going on in Birmingham and it’s bringing more and more people downtown and bringing awareness of what we have going on,” Lane said. 

From mid-October through mid-April the team and coaches live and invest their lives into Birmingham. Although Covid protocols have been tough, the team and staff have participated in local toy drives, and just recently in Read Across America.

“While we are here, we want to be a part of the community as much as possible,” Lane said.

Ranking second in the entire league for attendance, the Squadron is continuing to prove that Birmingham is the place to be for sporting events. 

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