NBA G League president believes Milwaukee Bucks affiliate Wisconsin Herd will stay in Oshkosh

OSHKOSH – Maybe the team is staying put after all.

NBA G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim doesn’t necessarily think the Wisconsin Herd is looking to relocate, saying he expects the Milwaukee Bucks G League franchise to remain in Oshkosh.

Abdur-Rahim’s reassurance comes months after an inside source revealed to the Northwestern that the Herd could possibly leave Oshkosh as it “no longer wants to work” with Oshkosh Arena owner Fox Valley Pro Basketball Inc. over claims of a violation of the current lease .

“I’d say we expect them to continue to be in Oshkosh,” Abdur-Rahim said in a wide-ranging interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

“I think what’s been demonstrated, and maybe sometimes the community doesn’t recognize, is the commitment that the Bucks have made to Oshkosh and Wisconsin in general.

“The thing we’re most excited about and appreciative of is the commitment of the Bucks organization to the G League and to the Herd, the leadership there in Oshkosh in [team president] Steve Brandes, the overall leadership of the Bucks of Peter Feigin and ownership around the G League,” he added.

Dig deeper: Milwaukee Bucks G League affiliate Wisconsin Herd files as creditor in Oshkosh Arena foreclosure case

Abdur-Rahim's comments serve as the official NBA statement on the future of the Wisconsin Herd.

Abdur-Rahim’s remarks serve as the first extensive comments from the NBA since the issues between the Herd and Fox Valley Pro Basketball Inc. were first reported in May amid a series of financial challenges facing the Oshkosh Arena.

Brandes only responded to say the “Wisconsin Herd is actively preparing for the 2024-25 season in Oshkosh” in a written press statement before the team announced six of its upcoming 24 home dates .

The 3,500-seat Oshkosh Arena is listed for sale and reports indicate the Herd is willing to remain in Oshkosh under new ownership as the lease agreement ties the team to the facility to 2026.

However, the inside source told the Northwestern the Herd claims FVPB is in violation of that lease, and the team has opt-out provisions that would grant it an early release from the agreement.

WXOW reported La Cross Center Director Jay Odegaard told News 19 Sports the Herd reached out to him to gauge interest about moving to La Crosse. But Deputy Director of La Crosse Center Jared Flick explained to the Northwestern that he reached out to the Milwaukee Bucks organization about hosting preseason games.

Abdur-Rahim's former team, the Vancouver Grizzles, was relocated to Memphis in 2001.

Franchise relocation is nothing new to Abdur-Rahim, who watched the NBA team that drafted him — the Vancouver Grizzlies — move to Tennessee to become the Memphis Grizzlies in 2001.

“At the higher level sometimes, teams announce they’re relocating and all these different things, I’ve been through all of that. That’s part of professional sports,” said Abdur-Rahim, who also served as the Sacramento Kings’ assistant general manager and NBA associate vice president of basketball operations.

“Obviously in business, all of us deal with things. This is one of the things that we’re dealing with. And we will.”

Fox Valley Pro Basketball is facing a foreclosure claim from the company that built the arena, Bayland Buildings, which contends it's still owed an outstanding balance of $12,417,464.82.

A neutral third party, attorney Paul Swanson, was appointed by the court to temporarily manage the arena — leaving some uncertainty surrounding the Wisconsin Herd’s upcoming season.

Home games: Milwaukee Bucks NBA G League affiliate Wisconsin Herd announces first 6 home dates in Oshkosh beginning Nov. 16

Abdur-Rahim said there is no deadline for G-League teams to be locked into home arenas.

The G League schedule is typically released in early September, but Abdur-Rahim said there is no deadline for teams to be locked into their home arenas.

“Especially in the G League, we’ve become accustomed to adjusting and dealing with uncertainty, whether it’s travel, arenas. I mean, that’s what our league is,” Abdur-Rahim said.

“I don’t know that there is certainty in anything. But we’ve learned how to operate in these areas where we know there will be issues and we’ll work through it.

“But we feel good about everything in Oshkosh and the commitment of the Bucks and their ability to continue to put the community first and put out a first-class product,” he added.

The Herd’s management team, Future Bucks LLC, recently requested to be added as an “interested third party” in the foreclosure case after claiming to be a creditor of Fox Valley Pro Basketball.

The Herd's initial six home dates for 2024-25 are Nov. 16, Jan. 23, Jan. 25, Feb. 1, Feb. 22 and March 1.

Contact Justin Marville at jmarville@gannett.com .

This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: NBA G League president believes Milwaukee Bucks affiliate Wisconsin Herd will stay in Oshkosh