One of six cities competing for the team, Shreveport may include a new arena in its bid to land a New Orleans Pelicans NBA Gatorade League (G-League) franchise.
The Pelicans are engaged in the process of finding a home for their forthcoming G-League team, as the franchise has set a June 7 deadline for responses its request for proposal (RFP). Six markets are included in the list of candidates, with Shreveport joined by fellow Louisiana cities Baton Rouge and St. Tammany Parrish, as well as Pensacola, FL; Mobile, AL; and Jackson, MS.
Shreveport could propose the construction of a new arena as part of its bid. While a site along Cross Bayou could be used as a location for the venue, the administration of mayor Ollie Tyler is holding off on discussing other details of the proposal. More from KTBS:
The Tyler administration declined comment Thursday on the proposal or funding options, saying they did not want to tip their hand to competing cities.
According to some members of the Caddo-Bossier Port Commission, one proposed funding idea was for the city and the port to form a partnership to secure bonds to build an arena. Opponents of that were concerned about competition with CenturyLink arena in Bossier City and noted that a sports venue is outside the port’s purpose, an email obtained by KTBS News shows.
The Pelicans are seeking the franchise in time for the 2018-19 G-League season. The G-League was long known as the NBA Development League (D-League), but is assuming its new name for the 2017-18 season as part of a partnership with Gatorade.
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