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Indiana Mad Ants

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Indiana Mad Ants
Indiana Mad Ants logo
ConferenceEastern
LeagueNBA G League
Founded2007
HistoryFort Wayne Mad Ants
2007-2023
Indiana Mad Ants
2023-present
ArenaGainbridge Fieldhouse
LocationIndianapolis, Indiana
Team colorsNavy blue, gold, cool gray[1][2][3]
     
General managerChris Taylor[4]
Head coachTom Hankins
OwnershipPacers Sports and Entertainment (PS&E)
Affiliation(s)Indiana Pacers
Championships1 (2014)
Conference titles2 (2014, 2015)
Division titles2 (2014, 2018)
Showcase Cup titles0
Retired numbers1 (19)
Websitefortwayne.gleague.nba.com

The Indiana Mad Ants are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana that competes in the NBA G League. The Mad Ants are the affiliate team of the NBA's Indiana Pacers and, since 2023, they have played their home games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, which they share with the Pacers.

From 2007 to 2023, the team played in Fort Wayne's Allen County War Memorial Coliseum and was known as the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Following the 2024–25 season, the team will move to Noblesville and play their games at the Noblesville Event Center.

The franchise won their first and only championship in 2013–14, and lost in the 2014–15 finals, when the G League was known as the NBA D-League. In September 2015, Pacers Sports & Entertainment (PS&E), parent company of the Indiana Pacers, purchased the Mad Ants.[5]

Team history

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2007–2012: early years

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In April 2007, the NBA Development League (D–League) announced it was expanding to Fort Wayne for the 2007–08 season, with former AT&T President John Zeglis as the team's president and part owner.[6] The team was poised to be the first minor league basketball franchise to play in Fort Wayne since the Fort Wayne Fury were disbanded after the folding of the Continental Basketball Association in 2001. The franchise held a team-naming contest on their website where fans could vote on one of the four finalists: Lightning, Fire, Coyotes, and Mad Ants, the latter name being a tribute to the city's namesake "Mad" Anthony Wayne.[7]

At the team's inception, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants were affiliated with the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers, while debuting their maroon, gold, and black colors. During the 2007 NBA D–League Draft, the Mad Ants notably selected Ron Howard, Larry Turner, and Lukasz Obrzut. They finished the 2007–08 season, their first in the D-League, with a 17–33 record that put them in last place in the Central Division. Jeremy Richardson was selected to the 2008 All–Star Game, and was awarded the 2008 All-Star Game MVP Award. Their inaugural season also included players Dahntay Jones, Walker Russell Jr., Sammy Mejía, and Earl Calloway.

The Mad Ants added the Milwaukee Bucks as their third affiliate for the 2008–09 season, ending that season with a 19–31 record. The franchise posted three more under-.500 records in the next three years, in 2009–10, 2010–11, and 2011–12, failing to make the playoffs in their first five years of competition. Across these seasons, the franchise had numerous players selected to the All–Star Game: Chris Hunter (2009), Ron Howard & Rob Kurz (2010), Walker Russell Jr. (2009, 2011, 2012), and Darnell Lazare (2012). Chris Hunter (2009) and Rob Kurz (2010) were selected to the All-NBA D League Second Team. The franchise also featured players Alex Acker, Oliver Lafayette, Joe Alexander, Larry Sanders, Chris Kramer, Marvin Phillips, Corey Allmond, Vernon Macklin, Stephen Graham, and Travis Walton.

2012–2015: Championship & playoff success

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The Mad Ants added the Charlotte Bobcats as their fourth NBA affiliate before in the 2012–13 season. In the 2012 D–League Draft, the Mad Ants selected JaJuan Johnson first overall. This season saw assignments from NBA players Khris Middleton, Miles Plumlee, Orlando Johnson, Kim English, and Luke Harangody. Tony Mitchell earned 2013 Rookie of the Year, 2013 Slam Dunk Champion, 2013 All-NBA D League First Team, and 2013 All-NBA D League Rookie Team. They made the D–League playoffs for the first time in 2013, losing to the Santa Cruz Warriors in the quarterfinals after a 27–23 regular season.

The next year, in the 2013–14 season, the Mad Ants won their division and conference with a 34–16 record and made it to the 2014 D–League Finals for the first time after beating the Sioux Falls Skyforce in the semifinals and the Reno Bighorns in the quarterfinals.[8] The Mad Ants defeated the Santa Cruz Warriors in two games in the Finals to claim their first D–League title, becoming the first franchise to go undefeated in the playoffs (6–0).[9] In back–to–back seasons, Tony Mitchell won the 2014 Slam Dunk Contest while being selected 2014 All-NBA D League Third Team. Solomon Hill, Adreian Payne, and Sadiel Rojas all appeared for the Mad Ants this year. Ron Howard won back–to–back Sportsmanship Awards in 2013 and 2014, before his D–League retirement, finishing top 10 in most points scored in D-League history with 4,325 career points.

In 2014, as most NBA teams began exclusively partnering with or acquiring their own D–League teams, the Mad Ants made affiliate partnerships with the rest of the teams that did not have exclusive affiliates: the Atlanta Hawks, the Chicago Bulls, the Brooklyn Nets, the Denver Nuggets, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the New Orleans Pelicans, the Portland Trail Blazers, the Toronto Raptors, and the Washington Wizards. This put the Mad Ants' total number of NBA affiliates at 14 for the 2014–15 season. As a result, the Mad Ants earned the 2015 NBA D League Development Champion Award for developing players such as Jordan Crawford, Noah Vonleh, Mike Muscala, Russ Smith, John Jenkins, Bruno Caboclo, Glen Rice Jr., and C.J. Wilcox. The Mad Ants reached the D–League Finals again in 2015, but lost the championship series to the Santa Cruz Warriors in two games.

2015–2023: Pacers ownership & rebranding

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By 2015, the Mad Ants were the only remaining independently owned team in the D-League, as the rest were owned and operated by an NBA team or a common parent organization.[10] However, in September 2015, Pacers Sports & Entertainment (PS&E) purchased the Mad Ants from owner and president John Zeglis and made the team the Indiana Pacers' one-to-one D-League affiliate, dropping the rest of the Mad Ants' partnerships. Brian Levy was named general manager by PS&E.[11] The team acquired Walter Lemon Jr. and Stephan Hicks in the 2015 D–League Draft before the 2015–16 season. The team missed the playoffs, finishing with a 20–30 record. Rakeem Christmas was selected to the 2016 All–Star Game. Glenn Robinson III, Joe Young, Shayne Whittington, and Terran Petteway also made appearances this season.

During the 2016–17 season, the franchise qualified for the playoffs with a 30–20 record, losing in three games to the Maine Red Claws in the semifinals. Alex Poythress was selected to the 2017 All–NBA D–League Second Team and All–NBA D–League Rookie Team. Tyler Hansbrough, Georges Niang, Marquis Teague, John Lucas III, Christian Watford, and Jarrod Uthoff all made appearances for the Mad Ants during this season.

Before the 2017–18 season, the Mad Ants rebranded and changed their colors to match the Pacers: navy blue, gold, cool gray and white. The NBA Development League was rebranded as the NBA G League this season following a sponsorship deal with Gatorade and the NBA. They finished the season 29–21, winning the Central Division, and qualifying for the playoffs where they lost in the semifinals to the Erie BayHawks. DeQuan Jones earned the 2018 Most Improved Player Award and won the 2018 Slam Dunk Contest. Walter Lemon Jr. also earned 2018 All–NBA G League Third Team honors. Edmond Sumner, T. J. Leaf, Ike Anigbogu, and Ben Moore all debuted for the Mad Ants this year.

The Mad Ants compiled a 23–27 record in the 2018–19 season, failing to make the playoffs. Alize Johnson and Davon Reed both played for the team this season. The next year, the Mad Ants held a 21–22 record before the 2019–20 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hasheem Thabeet, Goga Bitadze, JaKarr Sampson, Naz Mitrou-Long, and Brian Bowen II all played during the cancelled season.

The Mad Ants spent the 2020–21 season at the G League single site in Orlando, Florida during the COVID-19 pandemic, posting a 6–9 record, missing the playoffs. The Mad Ants selected Oshae Brissett 21st overall in the 2021 NBA G League Draft and later earned 2021 All–NBA G League Second Team.[12] Cassius Stanley, Jalen Lecque, and Amida Brimah all suited up for the Mad Ants during the shortened season.

For the 2021–22 season, the franchise returned to their home court at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum on November 6, 2021, playing their first home game in the venue in 608 days against the Windy City Bulls. This game also marked the start of the Mad Ants' 15th Anniversary season. The Mad Ants missed the playoffs with a 17–17 record. Justin Anderson was named to the 2022 All–NBA G League First Team. Terry Taylor, Duane Washington Jr., and Keifer Sykes also played for Fort Wayne this season.

During the 2022–23 season, the team's last in Fort Wayne, the Mad Ants returned to the playoffs with an 18–14 record, losing in the quarterfinals to Capital City Go-Go. Trevelin Queen and Gabe York were both selected to the 2023 Next Up Game while Justin Anderson was appointed 2023 All–NBA G League Third Team. Other players this season included Chris Duarte, Isaiah Jackson, David Stockton, Pedro Bradshaw, and Norvel Pelle.

2023–2025: Indiana Mad Ants

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On May 8, 2023, the Indiana Pacers announced that they were moving the Mad Ants to Indianapolis in preparation for construction of the Noblesville Event Center, a new 3,400–seat venue, in Noblesville, Indiana.[13] Upon their move to Indianapolis, the Mad Ants rebranded as the Indiana Mad Ants. The name is meant to last until their move to Noblesville, which will be accompanied by a new name, color scheme, and mascot.[14]

During the 2023–24 season, their first season playing at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the Mad Ants finished with a 21–13 regular season record, claiming the 3rd seed in the playoffs where they were defeated by the Delaware Blue Coats. They also earned a 15–2 record and the 1st seed in the 2023 Showcase Cup, though they ultimately lost in the finals to the Westchester Knicks. Oscar Tshiebwe was selected 2024 Rookie of the Year, 2024 All–NBA G League First Team, as well as 2024 All–NBA G League Rookie Team, after leading the league in rebounding and set a new G League single–season rebounding record with 16.2 rebounds per game.[15] Elfrid Payton was selected 2024 All–NBA G League Third Team after leading the league in assists at 9.1 per game. Furthermore, Tshiebwe, Isaiah Wong, and Kyle Mangas were all selected to the 2024 Next Up Game, while Tshiebwe participated in the 2024 NBA Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star Weekend. Stephan Hicks was named the inaugural winner of the "Ron Howard Mr. Mad Ant Award."[16] This season also featured Jarace Walker, Ben Sheppard, Quenton Jackson, Jordan Bell, Kendall Brown, and Mojave King.

Before the 2024–25 season, the NBA's G League Ignite folded, resulting in David Stockton's player defer rights being transferred back to the Mad Ants. On September 26, 2024, Stockton's returning player rights were traded to the Valley Suns expansion team in exchange for the returning player rights of Jahlil Okafor and Garrison Brooks from the 2024 Expansion Draft.[17] On October 3, 2024, as a result of Elfrid Payton signing a training camp deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, the Mad Ants traded him to the Birmingham Squadron for the rights to Landers Nolley II.[18] Additional players who joined the Mad Ants for their final season in Indianapolis included James Wiseman, Johnny Furphy, Tristen Newton, Enrique Freeman, Keisei Tominaga, and Kris Wilkes.

Season-by-season results

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Franchise Season Overviews
Season Division Regular season Postseason results
Finish Wins Losses Pct.
Fort Wayne Mad Ants
2007–08 Central 4th 17 33 .340 Did not qualify
2008–09 Central 5th 19 31 .380 Did not qualify
2009–10 Eastern 5th 22 28 .440 Did not qualify
2010–11 Eastern 3rd 24 26 .480 Did not qualify
2011–12 Eastern 8th 14 36 .280 Did not qualify
2012–13 Eastern 2nd 27 23 .540 Lost Quarterfinal (Santa Cruz) 0–2
2013–14 Eastern 1st 34 16 .680 Won Quarterfinal (Reno) 2–0
Won Semifinals (Sioux Falls) 2–0
Won Championship (Santa Cruz) 2–0
2014–15 Central 2nd 28 22 .560 Won Quarterfinal (Maine) 2–0
Won Semifinals (Canton) 2–0
Lost Championship (Santa Cruz) 0–2
2015–16 Central 5th 20 30 .400 Did not qualify
2016–17 Central 2nd 30 20 .600 Lost Semifinal (Maine) 1–2
Fort Wayne Mad Ants
2017–18 Central 1st 29 21 .580 Lost Semifinal (Erie) 116–119
2018–19 Central 3rd 23 27 .460 Did not qualify
2019–20 Central 4th 21 22 .488 Season cancelled by COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 13th 6 9 .400 Did not qualify
2021–22 Eastern 9th 17 17 .500 Did not qualify
2022–23 Eastern 6th 18 14 .563 Lost Quarterfinal (Capital City) 87–101
Indiana Mad Ants
2023–24 Eastern 3rd 21 13 .618 Lost Quarterfinal (Delaware) 101–123
2024–25 Eastern - - - - TBD
Regular season record 370 388 .488 2007–present
Playoff record 11 9 .550 2007–present

Players

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Current roster

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Indiana Mad Ants roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From
F 8 Freeman, Enrique (TW) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 206 lb (93 kg) 2000-07-29 Akron
G 11 Harmon, De'Vion 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 201 lb (91 kg) 2001-01-22 Texas Tech
G/F 17 Hicks, Stephan 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1992-04-02 Cal State Northridge
G 29 Jackson, Quenton (TW) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 173 lb (78 kg) 1998-09-15 Texas A&M
G 10 James, Josiah-Jordan 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 214 lb (97 kg) 2000-09-05 Tennessee
F 20 Lane, Ishmael 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1997-06-20 Northwestern State
G 24 Mangas, Kyle 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1999-04-08 Indiana Wesleyan
G 31 Mathias, Dakota 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1995-07-11 Purdue
F 0 McGriff, Cameron 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1997-09-30 Oklahoma State
G 4 Newton, Tristen (TW) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2001-04-26 Connecticut
G 5 Noel, Obadiah 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-06-28 UMass Lowell
C 15 Okafor, Jahlil 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 270 lb (122 kg) 1995-12-15 Duke
G 30 Tominaga, Keisei 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 178 lb (81 kg) 2001-02-01 Nebraska
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • (P) Prospects
  • (NBA) On assignment from NBA affiliate
  • (TW) Two-way affiliate player
  • Injured Injured

Roster
Last transaction: November 18, 2024

Retired numbers

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Ron Howard's No. 19 jersey hanging in the rafters at Fort Wayne's Memorial Coliseum.
Fort Wayne Mad Ants retired numbers
No. Player Position Tenure Date
19 Ron Howard
"Mr. Mad Ant"		 G/F 2007–2014 March 3, 2017

Head coaches

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Overview of Indiana Mad Ants coaches
Head coach Term Regular season Playoffs Achievements
G W L Win% G W L Win%
Kent Davison 2007–2008 49 17 32 .347 — — — —
Jaren Jackson 2008–2009 50 19 31 .380 — — — —
Joey Meyer 2009–2012 115 51 64 .443 — — — —
Steve Gansey 2012 (interim) 35 9 26 .257 — — — —
Duane Ticknor 2012–2013 50 27 23 .540 2 0 2 .000 Lost Quarterfinal (2012–13)
Conner Henry 2013–2015 100 62 38 .620 12 10 2 .833 Coach of the Year (2013–14)
Won Championship (2013–14)
Lost Championship (2014–15)
Steve Gansey 2015–2020 243 123 120 .506 4 1 3 .250 Lost Semifinal (2016–17)
Lost Semifinal (2017–18)
Tom Hankins 2020–present 115 62 53 .539 2 0 2 .000 Lost Quarterfinal (2022–23)
Next Up Game Coach (2023–24)
Lost Quarterfinal (2023–24)

NBA affiliates

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Current
Former

Mr. Mad Ant Award

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Established in 2023–24, the award honors Ron Howard and will be "presented to an active player at the end of the regular season."[19]

Ron Howard - Mr. Mad Ant Award winners
No. Player Position Tenure Date
17 Stephan Hicks G/F 2015–2020
2021–2022
2023–2024		 March 18, 2024

Individual awards

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NBA G League Most Valuable Player

NBA G League Coach of the Year

NBA G League Rookie of the Year

NBA G League Most Improved Player

NBA G League Team Executive of the Year

  • Jeff Potter – 2014

Jason Collier Sportsmanship Award

NBA D League Development Champion

  • Fort Wayne Mad Ants – 2015

All-NBA G League First Team

All-NBA G League Second Team

All-NBA G League Third Team

All-NBA G League Rookie Team

Ron Howard – Mr. Mad Ant Award

NBA G League Up Next Game

NBA G League Up Next Game Coach

NBA Rising Stars Challenge

NBA G League International Challenge

NBA D League All-Star Game Most Valuable Player

NBA D League All-Star Game

NBA D League Slam Dunk Champion

NBA D League Shooting Stars Champion

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Mad Ants Unveil New Look at Three Rivers Festival Parade". Pacers.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. July 8, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  2. ^ "Team History". FortWayne.GLeague.NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Retrieved March 30, 2024. The NBA G League underwent an overhaul in sponsorship and appearance prior to the 2017-18 season. With global partners such as Nike and Gatorade joining forces with the NBA, the Mad Ants received a new blue-and-gold look to correspond with its NBA affiliate, the Indiana Pacers.
  3. ^ "Indiana Mad Ants Reproduction Guideline Sheet". NBA Properties, Inc. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  4. ^ "Mad Ants promote Chris Taylor to General Manager; announce other basketball operations staff changes". FortWayne.GLeague.NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. September 15, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  5. ^ Buckner, Candace (September 9, 2015). "Pacers buy D-League's Mad Ants to enhance player development". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  6. ^ "NBA selects Fort Wayne for D-League franchise". The Journal Gazette. April 10, 2007. Archived from the original on May 1, 2007.
  7. ^ "The Ants Are Coming!". NBA Development League. June 18, 2007. Archived from the original on August 8, 2008. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
  8. ^ "NBA Development League: Skyforce at Mad Ants Game Info". NBA.com. Archived from the original on April 22, 2014. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
  9. ^ "Fort Wayne Mad Ants Capture 2014 NBA Development League Title". NBA.com. April 26, 2014. Archived from the original on April 29, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  10. ^ Schlosser, Keith (April 14, 2015). "Q&A w/ Fort Wayne Mad Ants' President Jeff Potter". Ridiculous Upside. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  11. ^ "Brian Levy Named General Manager of Fort Wayne Mad Ants". NBA.com. September 9, 2015. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  12. ^ "Fort Wayne Mad Ants' announce 2021 roster for single site season". NBA.com. January 11, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  13. ^ "Noblesville, Pacers Sports & Entertainment Announce New G League Partnership". NBA.com.
  14. ^ Montgomery, Gregg (May 8, 2023). "Pacers to move NBA G League team to new arena in Noblesville". WISH-TV. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  15. ^ "Oscar Tshiebwe Named NBA G League Rookie Of The Year For 2023-24". NBA.com. April 2, 2024. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  16. ^ "Stephan Hicks named first Ron Howard Mr. Mad Ant Award recipient". GLeague.NBA.com. March 18, 2024. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  17. ^ https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2024/9/26/24255514/valley-suns-trade-for-david-stockton-son-of-legendary-pg-john-stockton
  18. ^ Sig, Ben [@sig_50] (October 3, 2024). "Whether/not he was on the training camp roster w/Pelicans they did value the player and acquired him. NBAGL-Squadron have acquired the NBAGL-Rights to Elfrid Payton from the NBAGL-Mad Ants. Per: NBAGL-Transactions Log Elfrid Payton 🔄 Landers Nolley II Insurance PG in NOLA:" (Tweet). Retrieved October 5, 2024 – via Twitter.
  19. ^ "Stephan Hicks named first Ron Howard Mr. Mad Ant Award recipient". GLeague.NBA.com. March 18, 2024. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  20. ^ Warden, Steve (September 25, 2008). "TV plot bringing team to 'Tree Hill'". The Journal Gazette. Retrieved October 1, 2008.
  21. ^ "Fort Wayne Mad Ants Alumni Group Heads For "The Basketball Tournament"". ridiculousupside.com. June 4, 2015. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  22. ^ "Overseas Elite's Semifinal Win Over Team City Of Gods (Photos)". thetournament.com. August 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  23. ^ Staff, Mad Ants (August 8, 2023). "Mad Ants featured in Prime Video documentary on the NBA G League". Amazon Prime Video. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  24. ^ "Destination NBA: A G League Odyssey". Amazon Prime Video. August 8, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
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