The Nuggets went a-mining up in Michigan and they struck gold!
Fresh off the end of their multi-year affiliation with the NBA’s Detroit Pistons, the G-League’s Grand Rapids Drive have announced they will now be known as the Grand Rapids Gold in recognition of their new affiliation with the Denver Nuggets.
The name was chosen to “celebrate Colorado’s world class mining heritage”, which would, perhaps, make more sense for a team based in Colorado? Regardless, the name is a clear nod to their new parent club, the Nuggets, who themselves are named for the famed Colorado Gold Rush.
LINK: NBA G-League team logo history
The logo and colours also pays their respects to the Nuggets, using the same navy, gold, and red colour scheme as well as incorporating the design of their alternate “Mile High City Basketball” logo into the “O” of “GOLD”.
“We are extremely excited about the new name and logo of the Grand Rapid (sic) Gold,” said Nuggets President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly in the press release. “We feel the new look aligns well with both the Nuggets and Grand Rapids organizations and are excited to see it in action on the court next season.”
The G-League’s Grand Rapids Gold started out as the Anaheim Arsenal back in 2005, since then the team has relocated to Springfield, Mass. where they played as the Armor from 2009 to 2014, and then finally up to Grand Rapids, Mich., in 2014 where they took on the Drive name until this very moment.
While the 2021-22 G-League schedule has yet to be announced, back in the beforetimes the season would typically start around the first week of November, so could be safe to say we’ll have to wait until then to see the first game with the Gold name (rhymes!).
The Gold join the Maine Celtics, Capitanes de Ciudad de México, and the Motor City Cruise as G-League teams with new names heading into the upcoming season.
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