Mad Ants on the Move

Mad+Ants+on+the+Move

Ayden Hagemann

Pacers Sports & Entertainment announced on Monday, May 8th that the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Pacers G-League affiliate team, will be moving to Noblesville beginning the 2024-2025 league season. According to the Indy Star, next season will be the Mad Ants’ final year with that name and location before packing up for Noblesville, where they will play in a 3,400-seat, 85,000-square-foot arena near Finch Creek Park under a new name yet-to-be-determined. The agreement is a 10-year, $36.5 million deal that will be spent building the arena and naming rights. Danny Lopez, a spokesman for Pacers Sports & Entertainment, claims that moving the G-League team closer to Indianapolis had been a plan in the works prior to the pandemic, and now multiple years later they are able to move their team just about an hour away from Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Lopez went on to praise the city of Noblesville, saying “You have a young mayor who sees this as part of a bigger economic development vision with the city. It just aligned. The interests just aligned very well.” Additionally, Pacers Sports & Entertainment CEO Rick Fuson is excited about the partnership, and he “Can’t wait to continue growing our NBA and G League fan base right here in Hamilton County.” Ultimately, this marks an important strategic move in the current Pacers rebuild that many Pacers fans are hoping to see result in success for the franchise.