Photo: nba.com

The Detroit Pistons announced today the name and logo for their new G League team, the Motor City Cruise.

The team will play its first season in 2021-2022 at a new fieldhouse on the campus of Wayne State University.

The Grand Rapids Drive are the current G League affiliate of the Pistons and will continue through 2020-2021, assuming that there is a G League season.

The Pistons wanted their G League team to be closer to the NBA team and the Drive weren’t interested in moving to Detroit.

As a result, back in July, the Pistons purchased the Phoenix Suns’ G League affiliate, the Northern Arizona Suns, who will relocate to downtown Detroit and ultimately become the Motor City Cruise.

“The new NBA G League club’s moniker pays homage to the region’s automotive history and love for the open road and the new mark also features firing tail pipes that are symbolic of classic muscle cars and serve as a nod to the Pistons brand from the early 2000’s,” according to a team press release.

The new team name was chosen as part of a fan contest that featured 10 submissions.

“After considering many clever submissions, we are excited to announce the Motor City Cruise as the next professional sports franchise for the city of Detroit,” team owner Tom Gores said in a statement. “We wanted Pistons fans to help us with the naming process and engage with our new brand from the beginning. Our new G League team will create an affordable entertainment option in Detroit and also play an important role in our player development goals.”