| Birmingham Squadron | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conference | Eastern |
| League | NBA G League |
| Founded | 2019 |
| History | Erie BayHawks 2019–2021 Birmingham Squadron 2021–present |
| Arena | Legacy Arena |
| Location | Birmingham, Alabama |
| Team colors | Red, gold, navy blue[1] |
| Main sponsor | Pearl River Resort[2] |
| Head coach | T.J. Saint[3] |
| Ownership | New Orleans Pelicans (Gayle Benson, Governor)[3] |
| Affiliation(s) | New Orleans Pelicans |
| Website | birmingham |
TheBirmingham Squadron are an American professionalbasketball team in theNBA G League based inBirmingham, Alabama, and are affiliated with theNew Orleans Pelicans. The Squadron play their home games atLegacy Arena. The team began play in 2019 inErie, Pennsylvania as theErie BayHawks before moving to Birmingham in 2021.
On March 30, 2017, theNew Orleans Pelicans announced their intentions to have an owned-and-operatedNBA G League team by the 2018–19 season located in theGulf South region.[4] The organization then announced they were looking at 11 different cities across Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi.[5] By August 2017, the list had narrowed to two: Pensacola and Shreveport.[6] After the city council in Shreveport unanimously voted against building a new arena in September 2017,[7] the Pelicans' general managerDell Demps stated they had put their efforts in creating a G League team on hold, saying that "[finding] the right situation, and the right city for the team to play is essential."[8]
On October 24, 2018, the Pelicans announced plans to place their G League team inBirmingham, Alabama, and begin play atLegacy Arena by 2022.[9] The plan included an extensive $125 million renovation to Legacy Arena.[10] While the renovations were ongoing, the Pelicans' affiliate began play for the 2019–20 season as the Erie BayHawks after theAtlanta Hawks relocated their G League affiliate fromErie, Pennsylvania, toCollege Park, Georgia.[11] In March 2021, the Pelicans hired David Lane as the team's general manager with the intent on relocating the team in time for the 2021–22 season.[12]
The Erie BayHawks became the New Orleans Pelicans' affiliate in the2019–20 season.[13]Ryan Pannone, an assistant on the Pelicans'Summer League staff, was named the head coach of the BayHawks in August 2019.[14] He led the BayHawks to a 13–30 record in his first season, but the season was cancelled prematurely due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[15] The BayHawks played a shortened, 18-team season at theESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in2021 where they made the playoffs, losing to theLakeland Magic in the quarterfinals 139–110.[16]
On April 8, 2021, Erie Basketball Management, LLC, the local management company that operated all three franchises as the Erie BayHawks teams, announced that the organization was unable to find another NBA partner team for 2021–22 and ceased operations.[17] Long-time BayHawks president Matt Bresee was honored with theTeam Executive of the Year Award that summer, in recognition of his work in Erie.[18]
Following the completion of renovations toLegacy Arena, the franchise moved to Birmingham and officially became the Birmingham Squadron in 2021. The Squadron played their first home game in Birmingham on December 5, 2021, against theCapitanes de Ciudad de México in front of nearly 5,000 fans, where they lost 123–114.[19] The Squadron made the playoffs, falling to theTexas Legends at home in the first round 115–100.[20] The Squadron finished their inaugural season in Birmingham ranked second in league attendance.[21]
Following his first season in Birmingham, Ryan Pannone was asked to join Pelicans head coachWillie Green's staff in New Orleans full-time as an assistant.[22] Alongside the announcement of Pannone's move, the Pelicans announced that Squadron assistant T.J. Saint was being promoted to head coach.[23] In his first season, the Squadron finished with an 11–21 record in the regular season, 12th place in the Western Conference, and failed to reach the playoffs.
On July 26, 2021, the Birmingham Squadron name, logo, and colors were revealed, with the name "Squadron" being chosen as both a reference to acollective noun used for a group ofpelicans and to Alabama's history in military aviation such as theTuskegee Airmen of the99th Pursuit Squadron.[24] The Squadron logo is a star reminiscent of theBirmingham flag, and incorporates elements of the cultures and histories of both Birmingham andNew Orleans.[25] The team typically wears red uniforms at home and white on the road.[26] At the start of the 2023–24 season, the Squadron announced a partnership withPearl River Resort to display its logo on the Squadron's home jerseys.[2]
| Season | Division | Finish | Wins | Losses | Pct. | Winter Showcase | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham Squadron | |||||||||||
| 2021 | South | 2nd | 7 | 5 | .583 | ||||||
| 2022 | South | 6th | 6 | 12 | .333 | ||||||
| 2023 | South | T–1st | 8 | 6 | .571 | ||||||
| 2024 | South | 6th | 4 | 7 | .364 | ||||||
| Tip–Off Tournament | 25 | 30 | .455 | ||||||||
| Season | Conference | Finish | Wins | Losses | Pct. | Postseason | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erie BayHawks | |||||||||||
| 2019–20 | Eastern | 4th | 13 | 30 | .302 | Season cancelled byCOVID-19 pandemic | |||||
| 2020–21 | — | 3rd | 11 | 4 | .733 | Lost Quarterfinal (Lakeland) 110–139 | |||||
| Birmingham Squadron | |||||||||||
| 2021–22 | Western | 4th | 18 | 14 | .563 | Lost Conference Quarterfinal (Texas) 100–115 | |||||
| 2022–23 | Western | 12th | 11 | 21 | .344 | ||||||
| 2023–24 | Eastern | T–10th | 15 | 19 | .441 | ||||||
| Regular season | 68 | 88 | .436 | ||||||||
| Playoffs | 0 | 2 | .000 | ||||||||
| # | Head coach | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Achievements | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | Win% | G | W | L | Win% | ||||
| 1 | Ryan Pannone | 2019–2022 | 90 | 42 | 48 | .467 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | |
| 2 | T.J. Saint | 2022–present | 66 | 26 | 40 | .394 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | |
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| Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
Roster |
| Eastern Conference | |
|---|---|
| Western Conference | |
