Hawks in College Park now a ‘G League’ team

Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer stands beside renderings of a new 3,500-seat arena that will host Atlanta's new NBA Development League team beginning in 2019, during a news conference in Atlanta, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016. With two stadiums already under construction and plans for a major arena renovation, the Atlanta metro area is getting yet another new sports facility. The Hawks announced Thursday they are bringing the development league team to College Park, an inner suburb that is home to Atlanta's massive airport. (AP Photo/Paul Newberry)

Credit: Paul Newberry

Credit: Paul Newberry

Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer stands beside renderings of a new 3,500-seat arena that will host Atlanta's new NBA Development League team beginning in 2019, during a news conference in Atlanta, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016. With two stadiums already under construction and plans for a major arena renovation, the Atlanta metro area is getting yet another new sports facility. The Hawks announced Thursday they are bringing the development league team to College Park, an inner suburb that is home to Atlanta's massive airport. (AP Photo/Paul Newberry)

NBA players who go to the minors won’t go to the D-League anymore. As of Tuesday, the NBA changed the name of the NBA Development League to the NBA G League.

That’s G as in Gatorade.

So the Hawks’ minor league team in College Park, scheduled to play in the fall of 2019, will play in the G League. 

“This is a pivotal moment for the NBA G League,” G League President Malcolm Turner said in a news release Tuesday. “The league is experiencing unprecedented success both on and off the court, and our partnership with Gatorade is helping to drive momentum and create exciting opportunities for innovation, sports performance and player development.”

The NBA’s news release offered some details as to what Gatorade will do:

“For the 2017-18 season, the NBA G League will unveil new on-court uniforms and collaborate with the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) on programs to enhance player sports performance and recovery. Gatorade will begin to incubate its latest product and equipment innovations into NBA G League locker rooms, and teams will have the opportunity to collaborate with Gatorade to help players maximize their athletic potential and on-court performance.”