The Firebirds Partnership with the Greensboro Swarm

Happy Monday! As promised during the last edition of Firebird Focus, today’s issue is all about the Firebirds' evolving partnership with the Greensboro Swarm. If you’ve never heard of them before, then you’re in luck; if you have heard of them before, I can still guarantee you’ll learn at least one new thing. Enjoy!

Helping to tell the story between the two basketball teams is Rod McClure. Rod works in Membership Services for the Greensboro Swarm and has been with the team for two years.

If you’ve never heard of the Greensboro Swarm, they’re a team in the NBA’s G-league. “The Swarm is like minor league baseball in a sense,” he explains. “We’re under the Charlotte Hornets. Lots of guys are just short of their goal {the NBA}, and they’re one call away.” Playing with a G-League team gives them a chance for that dream to come true.

The Firebirds’ relationship with the Swarm goes back many years. “It {our relationship} started a few years ago. I’ve been with the Swarm for two years, and within a month I was appointed to Wade Harris. Wade was already a season ticket holder for the Swarm, coming to games, he knew some of my supervisors and staff in other areas. He had built a relationship with the team over the years by being a season ticket holder and supporting us.”

Wade and Rod’s relationship grew as Wade kept attending Swarm games, and Rod came to Firebirds games throughout the season. Another crucial person who helped create the bond between these two teams is Gion Brown. Gion currently works for the Memphis Grizzlies, but he spent nine months working as the Swarm’s manager of ticket sales and service.

Since Rod and Wade met, there’s been more than just going to each other’s games. Each team benefits in some way from the other. For the Firebirds, it’s allowing their players a chance to compete at a higher level of basketball.

For both teams, it’s also about bringing awareness and fans to their games. The Swarm are a relatively new G-League team, having been founded in 2016 (back when Rod was still in high school). The Firebirds came along in 2019, which means both teams are young and still growing their brand. Both teams have been successful in their endeavors so far: the Swarm boasts tens of thousands of followers on social media, and the Firebirds are closing in on a TBL championship. It helps that both leagues (the G-League and TBL) are rapidly expanding, making it easier for their teams to be profitable.

The G League tips off in early November, so if you’re interested in seeing high-level basketball before the Firebirds season starts in March, make sure to get tickets before they sell out!

-Tex