The Lakeland Magic are an American professional basketball team in the
NBA G League
The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA De ...
based in
Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland is the most populous city in Polk County, Florida, part of the Tampa Bay Area, located along Interstate 4 east of Tampa. According to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau release, the city had a population of 112,641. Lakeland is a principal c ...
, and are affiliated with the
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was estab ...
. The Magic began play in the
2017–18 season and play their home games at the
RP Funding Center.
The franchise was previously based out of
Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 ...
, and known as the Erie BayHawks.
History
Erie BayHawks (2008–2017)

The Erie BayHawks were established in 2008 as an expansion team in the
NBA Development League
The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...
(D-League), originally affiliated with the
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...
and the
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...
. The "BayHawks" name alluded to the
Presque Isle Bay, on which the city of Erie lies. The hawk represents the city's wildlife and naval history, especially because hawks were used by naval expeditions to send important messages. The team's colors of black, red, and gold paid homage to the Erie-based
Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry
Oliver Hazard Perry (August 23, 1785 – August 23, 1819) was an American naval commander, born in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. The best-known and most prominent member
of the Perry family naval dynasty, he was the son of Sarah Wallace A ...
and to the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
uniforms worn during the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It ...
. The team was affiliated with the
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Atlantic Division (NBA) ...
from 2009 to 2011. The team home court was
Erie Insurance Arena.
The affiliation with the Cavaliers lasted until 2011 when Cleveland obtained their own affiliate in the
Canton Charge. The BayHawks then affiliated with the
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associa ...
. Under the Knicks' affiliation, the BayHawks made headlines on January 17, 2012, when
Jeremy Lin
Jeremy Shu-How Lin (born August 23, 1988) is a Taiwanese-American professional basketball player who last played for the Guangzhou Loong Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He unexpectedly led a winning turnaround with the Ne ...
was assigned to the team. On January 20, he had a
triple-double
In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...
with 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists in the BayHawks' 122–113 victory over the
Maine Red Claws. Lin was recalled by the Knicks three days later. In December 2012, the Knicks assigned NBA veteran
Amar'e Stoudemire to the BayHawks because of an injury.
In 2012, the Knicks offered the BayHawks head coach position to
Patrick Ewing
Patrick Aloysius Ewing (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Georgetown University men's team. He played most of his career as the starting center for the Ne ...
, one of their most prominent alumni. However, he turned down the offer citing his desire to coach in the National Basketball Association as opposed to the D-League. Ewing has worked as an assistant coach for the
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...
,
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Divisio ...
, and
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was estab ...
.
In 2014, the Knicks ended their affiliation with Erie in favor of starting an expansion D-League franchise, the
Westchester Knicks
The Westchester Knicks are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in White Plains, New York, and are affiliated with the New York Knicks. The Knicks typically play their home games at Westchester County Center in White ...
, forcing the BayHawks to find a new affiliate. In April 2014, the BayHawks entered talks for a hybrid relationship with the Orlando Magic and a deal was announced May 19, 2014.
Lakeland Magic (2017–present)

In January 2016, the Magic announced their intentions to have their own D-League team in Florida, but stated that it would be an expansion team and not a relocation of the Erie BayHawks.
In the original January 6, 2016, announcement, it was announced that the
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was estab ...
was seeking to place a D-League team in Florida; the eight initial candidate venues were:
Bay Lake (
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
The ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is a multi-purpose sports complex located in the Walt Disney World Resort, in Bay Lake, Florida, United States, near Orlando. The complex includes nine venues and hosts numerous professional and amat ...
),
Daytona Beach
Daytona Beach, or simply Daytona, is a coastal resort-city in east-central Florida. Located on the eastern edge of Volusia County, Florida, Volusia County near the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic coastline, its population was 72,647 ...
(
Ocean Center),
Estero
Estero is a village in Lee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 36,939. During the 2010 census, Estero was an unincorporated community, or census-designated place, the population at that time was 22,612. Est ...
(
Germain Arena
Hertz Arena is a 7,181-seat multi-purpose arena in Estero, Florida, which is located between Miromar Lakes, Florida and Bonita Springs, Florida. The arena opened in November 1998 and serves as the home of the Florida Everblades of the ECHL.
H ...
),
Fort Myers
Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in southwestern Florida and the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 92,245 in ...
(
Lee Civic Center),
Jacksonville
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the c ...
(
Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena),
Kissimmee
Kissimmee ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Osceola County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 79,226. It is a Principal City of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida, Metropolitan Statistical Area, wh ...
(
Silver Spurs Arena
The current Silver Spurs Arena is an 8,000-seat (11,500 seat max capacity), 33,946 square foot multi-purpose arena, in Kissimmee, Florida. It was built in 2003. It replaced the original Silver Spurs grand stand. Both are home to the Silver Spu ...
),
Lakeland (
Lakeland Center
The RP Funding Center (formerly the Lakeland Civic Center and the Lakeland Center) is a multipurpose entertainment complex in Lakeland, Florida, comprising a convention center, arena and theater. Currently, it is home to the Florida Tropics S ...
), and
Orlando
Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures r ...
(
CFE Arena
Addition Financial Arena (formerly known as CFE Arena and UCF Arena) is a sports and entertainment arena located in Orlando, Florida, United States, on the main campus of the University of Central Florida. It was constructed beginning in 2006 ...
).
On February 17, the Magic narrowed their choices down to Bay Lake, Jacksonville, Lakeland, and Kissimmee.
On June 30, the Magic named Kissimmee and Lakeland as the two finalists.
However, in December 2016, the Magic announced that they had purchased the BayHawks' franchise and that they would be relocating it to
Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland is the most populous city in Polk County, Florida, part of the Tampa Bay Area, located along Interstate 4 east of Tampa. According to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau release, the city had a population of 112,641. Lakeland is a principal c ...
, for the
2017–18 season, becoming the seventeenth NBA team to own a D-League franchise.
They would also build a practice facility in nearby
Winter Haven.
On April 12, 2017, it was announced that the team would be named the Lakeland Magic. On August 8, 2017,
Stan Heath was named as the head coach and
Anthony Parker
Anthony Michael Parker (born June 19, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as well as in Italy and Israel. He is one of the most beloved and successful players in Ma ...
as the general manager.
In response to the purchase, the BayHawks' local management and former owners also announced that they were attempting to secure another franchise to replace the now Magic-owned BayHawks franchise to play in Erie. In January 2017, it was announced that the
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...
would temporarily place their D-League affiliate in Erie for the 2017–18 and 2018–19 seasons under the operations of the former BayHawks management as a
new BayHawks team. The Atlanta Hawks had already announced their intentions of placing their D-League franchise in
College Park, Georgia
College Park is a city in Fulton and Clayton counties, Georgia, United States, adjacent to the southern boundary of the city of Atlanta. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,930. Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport is par ...
, for the 2019–20 season.
Before the 2017–18 season, the league rebranded to the
NBA G League
The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA De ...
via a sponsorship with
Gatorade
Gatorade is an American brand of sports-themed beverage and food products, built around its signature line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo and is distributed in over 80 countries. The beverage was first develope ...
.
The Magic won the league championship in the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
-shortened season in
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...
. Head coach Heath won coach of the year and then took the head coaching position with the
Eastern Michigan Eagles
The Eastern Michigan Eagles, formerly known as the Normalites and the Hurons, are the athletic teams for Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. The Eagles compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA ...
. Associate coach Joe Barrer was then named his replacement. Anthony Parker was promoted to assistant general manager in Orlando and Adetunji Adedipe was promoted to general manager in October 2021 after serving as an assistant manager since 2017 and working for the Magic organization since 2015.
Season by season
Current roster
Head coaches
High points
Individual awards
NBADL All-Rookie Second Team
*
Tasmin Mitchell - 2011
Payton Siva
All-NBADL First Team
*
Erik Daniels - 2009
*
Ivan Johnson
Ivan Nicholas Johnson (27 June 1953 – 4 October 2021) was a professional, all rounder, English first-class cricketer who played for Worcestershire County Cricket Club from 1972 to 1975.
Johnson was the only The Bahamas, Bahamian to have pl ...
- 2011
All-NBADL Third Team
*
Alade Aminu
Abdul Wahab "Alade" Aminu (born September 14, 1987) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player who most recently played for Gigantes de Carolina of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He played college basketball for the Georgi ...
- 2010
NBADL All-Defensive Second Team
*
Ivan Johnson
Ivan Nicholas Johnson (27 June 1953 – 4 October 2021) was a professional, all rounder, English first-class cricketer who played for Worcestershire County Cricket Club from 1972 to 1975.
Johnson was the only The Bahamas, Bahamian to have pl ...
- 2011
All-Star Weekend
All-Star Game
*
Erik Daniels - 2009
*
Alade Aminu
Abdul Wahab "Alade" Aminu (born September 14, 1987) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player who most recently played for Gigantes de Carolina of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He played college basketball for the Georgi ...
- 2010
*
Ivan Johnson
Ivan Nicholas Johnson (27 June 1953 – 4 October 2021) was a professional, all rounder, English first-class cricketer who played for Worcestershire County Cricket Club from 1972 to 1975.
Johnson was the only The Bahamas, Bahamian to have pl ...
- 2011
*
Garrett Temple - 2011
*
Seth Curry - 2015
NBA affiliates
Erie BayHawks (2008–2017)
*
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...
(2008–2011)
*
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associa ...
(2011–2014)
*
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was estab ...
(2014–2017)
*
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...
(2008–2009)
*
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Atlantic Division (NBA) ...
(2009–2011)
Lakeland Magic
*
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was estab ...
(2017–present)
See also
*
College Park Skyhawks, basketball team that assumed the Erie Bayhawks name following this team's relocation to Lakeland
*
Erie BayHawks (2019–), third basketball franchise to use the BayHawks' name
Notes
Alade Aminu
Abdul Wahab "Alade" Aminu (born September 14, 1987) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player who most recently played for Gigantes de Carolina of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He played college basketball for the Georgi ...
was traded to the
Bakersfield Jam
Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's populat ...
after 37 games with the BayHawks.
References
External links
*
{{Florida Sports
2008 establishments in Pennsylvania
Basketball teams established in 2008
Basketball teams in Florida
Events in Lakeland, Florida
Orlando Magic
Sports in Lakeland, Florida
Sports in Erie, Pennsylvania