The NBA’s Indiana Pacers introduced this week that their G League affiliate, the Indiana Mad Ants, have rebranded to the Noblesville Growth in honour of late coach and commentator Bobby “Slick” Leonard and his iconic “Growth Child!” catchphrase.
The title and brand change coincides with their upcoming transfer to a 3,400-seat venue in Noblesville known as The Enviornment at Innovation Mile, although their new uniforms and court docket design gained’t be unveiled till nearer to the season opener in November.
“We’re thrilled to tip off an thrilling new period for our G League staff whereas honoring the legacy and world model energy of the Indiana Pacers,” Pacers Sports & Entertainment CEO Mel Raines said in a statement.
The franchise was founded as the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in 2007 as a tribute to the town’s namesake, “Mad” Anthony Wayne, an American Revolutionary Warfare common and U.S. Congressman.
They captured their solely league title in 2014 after which relocated to Indianapolis in 2023, enjoying the final two seasons at Gainbridge Fieldhouse – house of the Pacers – as the Indiana Mad Ants whereas their new area was being constructed.
The Mad Ants’ partnership with the NBA has been distinctive, to say the least, as they have been initially affiliated with the Pacers and Detroit Pistons earlier than including a 3rd and fourth affiliate within the Milwaukee Bucks in 2008 and Charlotte Bobcats in 2012.
Then, when most NBA groups started buying their very own associates in 2014, the Mad Ants partnered with the remaining groups that didn’t, together with the Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans, Portland Path Blazers, Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards.
This gave them a complete of 14 associates, although that shortly got here to an finish when the Pacers bought the independently owned franchise in 2015 and made them their unique G League – recognized then because the NBA Developmental League (or D-League) – affiliate.
With that, it ought to come as no shock that the acquainted ball and racing stripes from the Pacers’ logo is prominently featured within the Growth’s new mark, which mixes the Pacers’ basic navy blue and gold color scheme with cyan – first launched with their 2023-24 City Edition uniforms.
The emblem’s define seems to be a visible illustration of sound emanating from the “Noblesville Growth” wordmark. The staff’s new secondary mark, in the meantime, is a simplified model of the first design with the ball and racing stripes as the focus as a substitute of the wordmark.
Images courtesy of @noblesvilleboom on X/Twitter.
