Pacers' G-League affiliate Mad Ants moving to Noblesville
Update: Read the latest on this project, including the new location and chosen developer here.
Pacers Sports & Entertainment and the city of Noblesville announced Monday that the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Pacers' G-League affiliate, will move to Noblesville, which will build a 3,400 seat, 85,000-square-foot arena on the city's east side for the team.
The city hopes the arena will be built for the 2024-25 season, and the Pacers say the Mad Ants will play in Gainbridge Fieldhouse until construction is completed.
According to a press release, Noblesville is "working through due diligence steps with local partners and plan to build the arena at Finch Creek Park near the Mojo Up Sports Complex."
The franchise will maintain the Mad Ants name through the 2023-24 season, after which a new name will be chosen. The Mad Ants were named after the namesake of Fort Wayne, "Mad" Anthony Wayne, an American Revolutionary War general and U.S. Congressman.
“We are excited to welcome Pacers Sports & Entertainment to Noblesville along with the players, coaches and staff of the G League team,” Noblesville mayor Chris Jensen said in the release. “The Pacers are an iconic brand with deep roots in central Indiana. Partnering with such an impactful organization opens numerous opportunities for our community and drives forward our efforts for a larger sports and entertainment district with enhanced partnerships.”
According to the release, a 10-year partnership agreement between Noblesville and Pacers Sports & Entertainment will be presented Monday at the Noblesville Common Council meeting. The agreement includes a $5 million investment from PS&E, which will lead an effort to secure another $5 million in naming rights and signage over those 10 years. The city will invest $36.5 million in building the arena.
“The G League is world-class basketball, and PS&E is proud to bring that to Noblesville as we strengthen our basketball operations and enhance player development in one of the state’s most vibrant and growing communities,” Pacers Sports & Entertainment CEO Rick Fuson said in the press release. “We are excited about the way this partnership fits into the bold vision for economic development Mayor Jensen has laid out, and we can’t wait to continue growing our NBA and G League fan base right here in Hamilton County.”
Danny Lopez, a spokesman for Pacers Sports & Entertainment, said the organization started to consider the move around the time of the pandemic because it saw an increased value in having its G-League affiliate close to the parent club, something it has seen other NBA teams move to as well. They were already starting to head that direction by having the Mad Ants play several of their home games in Gainbridge Fieldhouse even while they were based in Fort Wayne. They also had use of the Pacers' practice facility across Ascension St. Vincent Center.
"Going back to the pandemic, our basketball operation realized the competitive advantage of having the team much closer, closer to Indianapolis," Lopez said. "The last couple years we've had the split schedule. These guys share team doctors and trainers. There's a lot of overlap and I think that's the direction the league is headed. It just makes sense from a player development standpoint and from a basketball operations standpoint to bring them closer."
Lopez said the Pacers were just having general discussions about the possibility of bringing the team closer but in recent months had more serious discussions with Noblesville about being the town that would be the Mad Ants' home. Lopez said it was "very, very recently" that it became clear that the deal could actually happen.
"In Noblesville, you have a young mayor who sees this as part of a bigger economic development vision with the city," Lopez said. "It just aligned. The interests just aligned very well."
Lopez said the Pacers had no issues with Fort Wayne's stewardship of the Mad Ants and that the Pacers were quick to contact the city and other stakeholders in the franchise to let them know about the decision. The move was simply made because being geographically closer helps them from a basketball perspective.
"This was about proximity of the team from a basketball perspective, not anything that has to do with Fort Wayne," Lopez said. "We do a ton up there in terms of the community engagement. A big piece of our annual toy drive is with the police department and the Boys and Girls Clubs up there. So we're still going to do a lot in Fort Wayne, it's just that the team won't be there."
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers news: Mad Ants moving from Fort Wayne to Noblesville
