The Cleveland G League team Cleveland Charge had its Retro Cavs Night on January 6, 2024, at the Wolstein Center. Many famous legends in Cavalier history –including Larry Nance–were in attendance at this game and notable players on the Cavaliers such as Donovan Mitchell were seen in the crowd. The Charge beat the Santa Cruz Warriors 116-104, with Emoni Bates boasting a career high 38 points. Although the Cleveland Charge is in a professional league and backed by a NBA team, only 3,312 individuals were in attendance. This, compared with the Cleveland Cavaliers average attendance of 19,432 in 2024 according to ESPN, shows the drastic difference of popularity between the NBA and the G League.
To understand what basketball fans were missing out on, I attended this game to experience what a G League game looks like.
Purchasing a ticket was as easy as going to the Rocket Mortgage website, where in the month of January, all home games were free of charge for up to four people per party. Then, parking can easily be found near the stadium with little to no walking distance to the stadium. After showing my ticket, I was greeted with various options for Charge apparel including limited edition jerseys and hoodies. For being the first 1,000 people in attendance at the game, I was awarded a free orange Charge T-Shirt. I was fortunate enough to be able to find seats courtside and was mere inches away from the players.
The game itself was very competitive and exciting. The announcers and graphics shown on the big screen were engaging, and during breaks, there were always intriguing activities and free items to win. Watching a sporting event on TV is nothing compared to being in the arena live. The energy after every basket and the shouting and cheering after fouls could be heard throughout the entire arena.
After the game, the Charge held a signing booth where fans could get their various merchandise signed by the players. I used the free orange Charge T-Shirt I had gotten that night and received signatures from Pete Nance and Gabe Osabuohien. While getting my shirt signed, I was able to ask them some questions about the game and they were both extremely friendly and kind.
While I had heard of the Cleveland Charge prior to going to this game, I was not aware of just how much care and attention they receive, despite having a very small but devoted number of fans. For an event that was completely free, as well as receiving free merchandise and a great time, the G League deserves much more attention than it receives.
