Maine Red Claws Will Now Be Known As Maine Celtics
BOSTON (CBS) -- Have you ever seen a green lobster before? That visual is coming soon to the Portland Expo in Maine, as the Maine Red Claws are changing their name to the Maine Celtics.
Boston's G League affiliate announced their name change and unveiled their new look on Monday. The team had been known as the Red Claws since their inception in 2009, but their new name and new look will go into effect for the upcoming 2021-22 NBA G League season.
"I'm as excited about this change as I was when we started the Maine Red Claws back in 2009," Maine Celtics Team President Dajuan Eubanks said in Monday's announcement. "Directly aligning our franchise name with the iconic Boston Celtics brand creates a new era of heritage building for basketball here in Maine."
"When we purchased the Maine franchise in 2019, we immediately made that organization a part of our family," said Boston Celtics Team President Rich Gotham. "The decision to rename the team to 'Maine Celtics' is the next step in that evolution, and a nod to our diehard fan base, which extends throughout the great state of Maine."
The Boston Celtics and the state of Maine have been connected for a long time, with the C's playing exhibition games in the Pine Tree State starting in 1947. The Celtics even played a regular season game at the then-brand-new Bangor Auditorium in 1955.
The Maine Celtics will return to the Portland Expo for the start of the 2021-22 NBA G League season, with the league expected to resume with a full, 50-game regular season starting this fall.
