Photo / Peter Van Allen
A fan's-eye view of the Maine Red Claws and their mascot, Crusher.
July 26, 2019
Celtics buying Maine Red Claws basketball team
Photo / Peter Van Allen
The Maine Red Claws, here in action at the Portland Expo, are slated to be sold to their NBA affiliate, the Boston Celtics.
By Staff
The Maine Red Claws, a Portland minor-league basketball affiliate of the Boston Celtics for 10 years, are being purchased by the storied NBA team.
The Celtics said Thursday they have entered an agreement to buy the Red Claws, although the deal isn’t complete and is subject to approval of the G League, the NBA’s official development league.
“Over the years, the G League and the Red Claws have become increasingly important to the Celtics and our player development efforts. We look forward to deepening both our ties with basketball operations and within the community, and further bringing the Celtics experience to fans in Maine,” Celtics President Rich Gotham said in a news release.
The Red Claws debuted in the 2009-2010 development league season as an affiliate of both the Celtics and the Charlotte Bobcats (now the Charlotte Hornets). The Portland team was launched with a $2 million investment by a 15-member ownership group that included Jon Jennings, a former Celtics scout and assistant coach and currently Portland city manager.
In 2012, the Claws and Celtics formed an exclusive affiliation, in which Boston guided basketball operations while the Maine owners ran the business. That’s the approach other development teams have followed as the league has grown.
Launched in 2001 as the National Basketball Development League with eight loosely affiliated franchises, the group comprised 27 teams last season, all of which were exclusive affiliates or subsidiaries of an NBA team.
(The league changed its name to the G League in 2017, when Gatorade became the title sponsor.)
Portland has had mixed success as a minor-league basketball venue.
In their first two seasons, the Red Claws attracted sellout crowds and over 70 corporate sponsors to their home court at the 3,000-seat Portland Expo. But attendance has steadily declined since then. The team finished last season with a 19-31 record, the fourth-worst in the G League.
In Thursday’s news release, Red Claws Chairman and Principal Owner Bill Ryan Jr. said, “We are thrilled that the Celtics will continue to build upon the success we have had in making the Red Claws an important part of the Maine community.”
In a separate statement, Jennings added, “It is exciting to know the Celtics have decided to fully invest in the Red Claws and be a long-term partner with the city. I am eternally grateful to the Ryan family for making the Red Claws happen.”
Neither the Celtics nor the Red Claws will have any further comment until the completion of the purchase, according to the release.
The Red Claws are scheduled to play their home opener of the 2019-2020 season on Nov. 15.
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