Team Promotions - Weekly Roundup | June 28, 2023

Throughout the offseason, we're highlighting our favorite themes, promotions and events across the league from the NBA G League 2022-23 season.

Santa Cruz Warriors Hosted Robust Black History Game and Month of Programming  

To kick off Black History Month, the Santa Cruz Warriors hosted their Black History Month Game, presented by Chase, on Saturday, February 3. With a sold-out crowd, the game featured the National Anthem, Black National Anthem, and a halftime drumline performance by Black Surf Club, a community group local to Santa Cruz that promotes physical and spiritual wellness through surf for the BIPOC Community. 

The team wore special Black History Month-themed jerseys and raised over $3,000 to benefit Black Surf, and the first 1,000 fans in the building received shirts that matched the player themed jerseys. 

The month of the team’s Black History Month events continued with multiple community events, all presented by Chase. On Feb. 4, the Santa Cruz Warriors and Black Surf Santa Cruz collaborated on a two-hour surfing lesson with coaches and basketball personnel to promote inclusivity. The following day, the team hosted a sold-out book discussion with Santa Cruz Bookshop at Kaiser Permanente Arena with the authors of How to Be a (Young) Antiracist, Ibram X. Kendi & Nic Stones. 

Later in the month, the Santa Cruz Warriors front office staff and Chase volunteers visited a local elementary school to read books focusing on historical black leaders to students.​ The month of programming wrapped up with a Black History Month Webinar, the panelists including former Santa Cruz Warriors Assistant Coach, and current Golden State Warriors Player Development Coach Anthony Vereen and two-time WNBA Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist, Jewell Loyd, and Managing Director, Regional Director Wealth Management at JPMorgan Chase & Co., Lanän M. Clark. The conversation was moderated by Santa Cruz Warriors Sideline Reporter, Zena Keita.​ 

For more information on Santa Cruz Warriors tickets, visit their Ticket Central page. Their priority dates can be found here.

Windy City Bulls Team Up with the Chicago Sky to Celebrate the Women of Chicago  

In what landed as the runner up for the 2023 G League Promotion of the Year Award, the Windy City Bulls held an incredibly successful Tip-Off to Women’s History Month game, celebrating the Chicago Sky of the WNBA. Presented by AT&T, the night’s attendance was 74 percent higher than the team’s season average.  

The game featured a bobblehead giveaway in the likeness of Chicago native and WNBA star Allie Quigley, depicting her wearing a Chicago Bulls jersey. Quigley attended the game and engaged with both Windy City and Chicago Sky season ticket members during an exclusive pregame meet and greet session.  

The Windy City Bulls wore specialty theme jerseys, inspired by Chicago Sky jerseys, with a WISE (Women in Sports + Events) logo on the back of the jersey noting the Chicago Chapter as the recipient of the money raised from the jersey auction. The jerseys were inspired specifically by the Sky’s Rebel Edition uniform, including their signature sky-blue color. The design was intended to represent the women of Chicago breaking through glass ceilings. Both teams collaborated heavily on digital platforms in advance of the event date, and the Sky’s mascot joined in on in-game activations and games.

 Information on Windy City Bulls tickets can be found here, along with their priority dates.

Raptors 905 Break a Guinness World Record while Doing Good 

In partnership with Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and PS43 Foundation, Raptors 905 hosted a Capes for Kids Night in February 2023.  

Despite attendance forecasting, a crowd of enthusiastic red-caped supporters joined at Paramount Fine Foods Centre and succeeded to break the Guinness World Record for Most Capes at a Gathering, which Raptors 905 beat by over 500 people.  

A portion of proceeds from game tickets purchased using a special promo code were donated to support the hospital’s Capes for Kids annual fundraising campaign, which is aiming to raise $1 million to help children and youth with disabilities. Capes for Kids is Holland Bloorview’s foremost fundraising campaign. The red capes worn during the campaign are intended to start conversations about childhood disability and inclusion. 

All attendees at the game received a red cape and was instructed by Raptors forward Pascal Siakam to wear it during the break between the first and second quarter while the Guinness World Records Adjudicator and volunteers performed the official count. The event earned coverage on more than 10 Toronto-based news programs, from the CBC Late Night News to TSN 4 – NBA Tip-Off with host Ernie Johnson.  

For more information about Raptors 905 season ticket memberships, visit their website.