The Los Angeles Clippers are expected to launch an NBA Gatorade League (G-League) team in Ontario, CA for 2017-18, according to a report from ESPN.
Currently lacking an exclusive affiliate in the G-League, the Clippers are expected to move forward with plans to place a team in Ontario. The club, known as Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, would become the G-League’s 26th team, and the fourth to launch for the upcoming season.
With its proximity to Los Angeles, the Ontario franchise would be the latest example of a G-League team that is based close to the operations of its NBA organization. The Clippers are also expected to take the unique step of introducing a title sponsor, with Agua Caliente Casino Resort signing on for that role. More from ESPN.com:
Sources told ESPN.com that the Clippers are closing in on an announcement that would establish Agua Caliente Casino Resort — one of the club’s most prominent sponsors at the NBA level — as the title sponsor of the club’s looming D-League affiliate in a unique naming arrangement.
Ontario, California, is roughly 50 miles away from Los Angeles, which would enable the Clippers to assign and recall players whose D-League rights they hold on an expedited basis.
The Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks, and Memphis Grizzlies are among the NBA organizations that will launch new G-League teams for the upcoming season. Through the 2016-17 season, the G-League was known as the NBA Development League (D-League), but is assuming its new name as the result of a title sponsorship agreement with Gatorade.
