After picking up a new affiliation with the NBA's Denver Nuggets, the Grand Rapids Drive has been renamed 'The Grand Rapids Gold'.

The minor league basketball team, which plays their home games at the Deltaplex Arena on the Northwest side, made the anticipated name change announcement yesterday.

The team was originally affiliated with the Detroit Pistons, but they dropped the Drive when they signed a deal to assign player to the Motor City Cruise, which will begin play in the G-League this fall. They will play their home games at a new arena built on the campus of Wayne State University.

The G-League is the top league used by major league NBA teams to develop younger players. The former Drive was the Pistons affiliate since moving to GR from Springfield, Il in 2014.

The new name 'Gold' is a direct spin off from the 'Nuggets' name, which relates to gold mining in the Rocky Mountain region.

The newly named team will also adopt the Nuggets color scheme of blue and gold, occasionally accented with red. The team will begin play for the 2021-22 season in December. Season and single game tickets are on sale now.

“This new affiliation and corresponding name change is one of the biggest moves we’ve made as a franchise,” Grand Rapids Gold President Steve Jbara said in an announcement.

“Aligning ourselves further with the Denver Nuggets, a team that recently advanced past the first round of the NBA playoffs for the third consecutive season, further elevates the professional basketball experience here in Grand Rapids, and we couldn’t be more excited to get back on the court this fall.”

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