Assembling a Dream Team!

Good morning! Have you ever wondered how a team like the Firebirds builds their roster for the season? Today, I’ll break down the process, as it’s a little different from how an NBA team goes about its business.

NBA teams typically don’t have as high of a roster turnover as teams like the Firebirds do, as players are signed to multiple-year contracts and only leave if traded, cut, or choose to sign with another team in free agency.

The Firebirds are only allowed to sign players to one-year contracts based on TBL rules, which makes for much higher roster turnover. In addition, the Firebirds aren’t an ending destination for most players; Raleigh is a spot for them to continue and enhance their careers. The point of playing for a team like the Firebirds (aside from winning) is to get exposure for overseas and G-League teams.

There’s a TBL draft early in 2024, which gives the Firebirds two players to add to the team for the upcoming season. Aside from those two, however, it’s up to the Firebirds to scout out new players who could be a good fit for the team.

One of the most common ways this happens is through open tryouts. The Firebirds are hosting an open tryout on Saturday, November 18th, from 10 AM-1 PM. The purpose of this tryout is to give players interested in the Firebirds a chance to audition for the team, and the Firebirds management a chance to scout as much talent as possible (plus, fans can attend for free, meaning they get a chance to see potential Firebird talent up close).

The best from the open tryout will be invited to the Firebirds winter mini-camp, held in mid-January. After these two days, the Firebirds will have an even better sense of who will be playing for the team this upcoming season.

Finally, the team’s official training camp commences before the start of the season. This is when final cuts happen, the team’s roster is finalized, and practices really start to ramp up. And before you know it, opening night of the season is here!

I hope you learned something new about the Firebirds today! And don’t forget, if you’re interested in buying tickets, just go to our website and use Promo Code EARLYBIRD25; only valid until the end of this week!

-Tex