State and local officials gathered in Wilmington to celebrate the Wilmington Blue Coats’ first-ever G-League championship.
They swept the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the best-of-three title series - wrapping up the crown last Thursday with a 114 to 110 Game 2 victory on the road. They beat the Vipers 134 to 120 in Game 1 in Wilmington.
Head Coach Coby Karl says their season didn’t start off great – they were below .500 and didn’t qualify for the Showcase Cup, but after some adjustments to the roster, they quickly made a comeback.
“I think the one thing about this league, and our team, is that you have NBA-level players on the floor on a nightly basis, and it’s fun to be a part of that," Karl says. "We have a three-time NBA champion, now a four-time champion in Pat McCaw, we have Braxton Key who has played really well in NBA games, you just go down the list, and we have a lot of NBA talent.”
The Blue Coats are the Philadelphia 76ers G League affiliate.
Guard Jaden Springer was named Finals MVP after scoring 42 points in Game 1 and 21 points in Game 2 and was named. The former Sixers' first-round draft pick says the Blue Coats are a unique team that comes from various backgrounds but blends together well.