Wayne State Fieldhouse

Last updated
Wayne State Fieldhouse
Relief map of USA Michigan.png
Red pog.svg
Wayne State Fieldhouse
Location within Michigan
Usa edcp relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
Wayne State Fieldhouse
Location within the United States
Location Detroit, Michigan
Coordinates 42°21′11″N83°04′39″W / 42.35306°N 83.07750°W / 42.35306; -83.07750
Owner Wayne State University
Capacity 3,000
OpenedNovember 5, 2021
Tenants
Wayne State Warriors (NCAA) (2021–present)
Motor City Cruise (NBAGL) (2021–present)

Wayne State Fieldhouse is a multi-purpose arena in Detroit. It serves as the home of the Wayne State Warriors (NCAA Division II) men's and women's basketball teams and the Motor City Cruise of the NBA G League. The arena is owned by Wayne State University. [1]

Contents

History

On May 1, 2019, Wayne State University entered into a partnership with the Detroit Pistons to construct a new arena. The $25 million arena would be constructed near the corner of Trumbull and Warren Avenues. The Pistons' desire to bring their NBA G League affiliate closer to home was a factor in their decision since their affiliate, the Grand Rapids Drive, played 150 miles (240 km) west of Detroit. There were discussions about bringing the Drive to Detroit, but the Drive's ownership indicated that it preferred to stay in the Grand Rapids area. [2] [3] The Pistons then purchased an existing G League franchise from the Phoenix Suns, the Northern Arizona Suns, and relocated the team to Detroit as the Motor City Cruise in 2021. [4]

Controversy

The partnership between Wayne State and the Pistons was negotiated in secret at the request of the Pistons, contrary to the Open Meeting Laws that govern all publicly elected officials in the state of Michigan (members of the Wayne State Board of Governors are publicly elected in statewide partisan elections). Plans for Wayne State Fieldhouse were announced less than 12 hours before the University Board met to sign the contract. At the meeting, the arena was the first agenda item followed immediately by a university press conference announcing the partnership. There was no time provided for public comment despite the arena's location in a dense residential neighborhood. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Detroit Pistons</span> National Basketball Association team in Detroit, Michigan

The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at Little Caesars Arena, located in Midtown Detroit. Founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as a semi-professional company basketball team called the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons in 1937, they would turn pro in 1941 as a member of the National Basketball League (NBL), where they won two NBL championships: in 1944 and 1945. The Pistons later joined the Basketball Association of America (BAA) in 1948. The NBL and BAA merged to become the NBA in 1949, and the Pistons became part of the merged league. In 1957, the franchise moved to Detroit. The Pistons have won three NBA championships: in 1989, 1990 and 2004.

The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the official minor league organization of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA Development League from 2005 until 2017. The league started with eight teams until NBA commissioner David Stern announced a plan to expand the NBA D-League to 15 teams and develop it into a true minor league farm system, with each NBA D-League team affiliated with one or more NBA teams in March 2005. At the conclusion of the 2013–14 NBA season, 33% of NBA players had spent time in the NBA D-League, up from 23% in 2011. As of the 2020–21 season, the league consists of 30 teams, 28 of which are either single-affiliated or owned by an NBA team, along with the NBA G League Ignite exhibition team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Dumars</span> American basketball player and executive

Joe Dumars III is an American professional basketball executive and former player who is the executive vice president and head of basketball operations of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He could play either shooting guard or point guard on offense and was a highly effective defender. He played his entire 14-year career with the Detroit Pistons. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Dumars and Isiah Thomas combined to form one of the best backcourts in NBA history. Dumars was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Palace of Auburn Hills</span> Arena in Michigan, United States

The Palace of Auburn Hills, commonly referred to as the Palace, was a multi-purpose arena built in 1988 and located in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It was the home of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Detroit Shock of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), the Detroit Vipers of the International Hockey League, the Detroit Rockers of the National Professional Soccer League, the Detroit Neon/Detroit Safari of the Continental Indoor Soccer League, and the Detroit Fury of the Arena Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Findlay Toyota Center</span> Multi-purpose arena in Prescott Valley, Arizona

The Findlay Toyota Center is a 5,100-seat multi-purpose arena located at 3201 North Main Street in Prescott Valley, Arizona.

Robert Werdann is an American former professional basketball player and coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hasheem Thabeet</span> Tanzanian basketball player (born 1987)

Hasheem Thabeet is a Tanzanian professional basketball player for the TaiwanBeer HeroBears of the T1 League. He played college basketball for UConn before being drafted second overall in the 2009 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies. His performance as a second overall draft pick has led many analysts to label him as one of the "biggest busts" in NBA history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Wayne Mad Ants</span> American professional basketball team of the NBA G League

The Fort Wayne Mad Ants are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Indianapolis, Indiana, and are affiliated with the Indiana Pacers. The team plays their home games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Mad Ants won their first and only championship in 2014, when the G League was known as the NBA D-League. In September 2015, the Indiana Pacers purchased the Mad Ants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcus Thornton (basketball, born 1987)</span> American professional basketball player

Marcus Terrell Thornton is an American professional basketball player, who most recently played for the Motor City Cruise of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for Kilgore College and LSU before being drafted in the second round of the 2009 NBA draft by the Miami Heat. He has played in the NBA for the New Orleans Hornets, Sacramento Kings, Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets and Washington Wizards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Rapids Gold</span> American professional basketball team of the NBA G League

The Grand Rapids Gold are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and are affiliated with the Denver Nuggets. The Gold play their home games at Van Andel Arena. They began play as the Anaheim Arsenal in 2006, before relocating to Springfield, Massachusetts, in 2009, becoming the Springfield Armor. After five seasons in Springfield, the franchise moved to Grand Rapids in 2014 and were subsequently renamed the Grand Rapids Drive, before changing their name again to the Gold in 2021.

The 2014–15 NBA Development League season was the 14th season of the NBA Development League. The NBA D-League is the official minor league basketball organization owned by the National Basketball Association (NBA). The NBA D-League expanded to a record 18 teams for the 2014–15 season. For the first time in league history the NBA D-League was aligned into two conferences with two divisions each, two with five and two with four.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Caesars Arena</span> Indoor arena in Detroit

Little Caesars Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Midtown Detroit. Opened on September 5, 2017, the arena, which cost $862.9 million to construct, replaced Joe Louis Arena and The Palace of Auburn Hills as the home of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motor City Cruise</span> American minor league basketball team of the NBA G League

The Motor City Cruise are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Detroit, and are affiliated with the Detroit Pistons. The Cruise play their home games at Wayne State Fieldhouse. The franchise began play as the Long Beach Jam in 2003 under the revived American Basketball Association and moved to Bakersfield in the D-League in 2006 as the Bakersfield Jam. After ten years in Bakersfield, California, the franchise was moved to Prescott Valley, Arizona, in 2016 by the Phoenix Suns and were subsequently renamed the Northern Arizona Suns. In 2021, the team relocated to Detroit after being purchased by the Pistons.

Deividas Sirvydis is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for the Wisconsin Herd of the NBA G League. Sirvydis was selected 37th overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2019 NBA draft and was then traded to the Detroit Pistons.

Zena Ray "Zeke" Upshaw was an American professional basketball player. He began his college basketball career with the Illinois State Redbirds. After playing sparingly for three seasons, he transferred to join the Hofstra Pride, where he led the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) in scoring and was named second-team all-conference. Upshaw played professionally in Slovenia and Luxembourg before returning to the United States and joining the Grand Rapids Drive of the NBA Development League. In the Drive's regular season finale in 2017–18, he collapsed on the court in the game's final minute and died two days later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordan Bone</span> American basketball player (born 1997)

Jordan Latham Bone is an American professional basketball player for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Tennessee Volunteers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cassius Stanley</span> American basketball player

Cassius Jerome Stanley is an American professional basketball player for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donta Hall</span> American basketball player

Donta Hall is an American-Azerbaijani professional basketball player who plays for the AS Monaco Basket of the LNB Pro A. He played college basketball for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

The 2020–21 NBA G League season was the 20th season of the NBA G League, the official minor league basketball organization owned by the National Basketball Association (NBA). The season was indefinitely postponed following the previous season's cessation amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The league used the same type of isolation season as the 2020 NBA Bubble with all games at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Bay Lake, Florida. Only 17 of the 28 teams from the previous season, plus the new NBA G League Ignite development team, chose to participate.

The 2021–22 NBA G League season was the 21st season of the NBA G League, the official minor league basketball organization owned by the National Basketball Association (NBA). The prior season, the league played a shortened season with 18 teams and all games were held at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Bay Lake, Florida, in similar to the 2020 NBA Bubble due to the ongoing restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021–22 season consisted of two phases: a Showcase Cup from November 5 to December 22, with all 30 teams participating before 28 of the league teams underwent a traditional regular season intended to span 36 games for each team from January 5 to April 2 before postseason. Untimely postponements, however, would lead to a varying level of games played before the end of the season, which meant roughly 31-35 games were played by each team.

References

  1. ↑ "Wayne State University to construct new basketball facility". Wayne State University. May 1, 2019. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  2. ↑ Hawkins, James (May 1, 2019). "Grand Rapids Drive balk at proposed move to Detroit". The Detroit News. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  3. ↑ Beard, Rod (May 1, 2019). "'Game-changer': Wayne State to build $25M athletic facility, house Pistons' G-League team". The Detroit News. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  4. ↑ Beard, Rod (July 29, 2020). "Pistons buy G League team to play in Detroit for 2021-22; Grand Rapids Drive mull options". The Detroit News. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Official Processings" (PDF). Wayne State University. May 1, 2019. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.