NBA G League franchise to call CSU home

CLEVELAND (June 9, 2021) – The Charge NBA G League franchise announced today that the team will begin playing home games in downtown Cleveland at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center starting with the 2021-22 season, expected to begin in early November. 

The move to the Wolstein Center concludes a 10-year, nine-season stay at the Canton Memorial Civic Center, which served as the first home venue for the team after the franchise was acquired by the Cleveland Cavaliers organization.

 “We want to thank Mayor Bernabei, the City of Canton and our Charge fans and partners for a decade of excitement at the Civic Center,” said Rock Entertainment Group CEO Len Komoroski. “When we acquired the franchise and relocated it here to Northeast Ohio, our goal was to create the best operation and experience in the G-League, both on the court and off. We’ve had success working towards both those goals and that remains our commitment and focus.”

The transition to playing at CSU launches a new era of Charge basketball in downtown Cleveland and one that will be accompanied by the development of a longer-term vision and partnership with CSU that can align with the evolution of their future venue plans as well. 

“We’re thrilled to welcome the Charge to the Wolstein Center, and we look forward to collaborating with Rock Entertainment Group on what’s next,” said CSU President Harlan Sands. “This is bigger than basketball. It is a great example of our commitment to engage and collaborate with community partners to pool resources, strengthen downtown and make Cleveland and Northeast Ohio an even more vibrant place to live, work, play and do business.”
 
The Charge’s move follows a trend in the G League seeing teams continuing to operate much closer to their NBA franchise home venues and training centers. 

“As we look to the future, we’re very pleased to now be able to continue the growth of the Charge at the Wolstein Center,” said Charge General Manager Brendon Yu. “The proximity to Cleveland Clinic Courts and Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse (home of the Cleveland Cavaliers) creates an enhanced synergy between the two teams and will foster even greater personnel development that will be very impactful for us.”

The Wolstein Center, which is just blocks away from Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, serves as the home to the reigning Horizon League champion men’s basketball program and WBI champion women’s basketball team, both of which are coming off historic seasons. The 13,000-plus seat arena is also a major concert venue and recently finished a 12-week run as Ohio’s first state-federal mass vaccination clinic, distributing more than 257,000 COVID-19 vaccines. 

Further details on the team name, logos, merchandise, tickets and schedule will be announced in the near future. 

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About Cleveland State University
Founded in 1964, Cleveland State University is a public research institution that provides a dynamic setting for Engaged Learning. With nearly 16,000 students, ten colleges and schools and more than 175 academic programs, CSU was again chosen for 2021 as one of America’s best universities by U.S. News & World Report, including the #1 public university in Ohio for social mobility. Find more information at www.csuohio.edu.