On July 7, 2011 the Cleveland Cavaliers announced they would own and operate a new NBA Development League franchise in Canton, Ohio known as the Canton Charge. The move illustrated Cavaliers ownership’s commitment to create a culture of success by putting the team in the strategic position to take an active part in the player development process. Now the NBA G League after partnering with Gatorade to become the first U.S. pro sports league with an entitlement sponsor, the Charge are one of 28 teams fostering young basketball talent. The NBA G League set records for players on end-of-regular-season NBA rosters with NBA G League experience (272) – a total of 52 percent of all NBA players – and unique NBA players assigned (105), during the 2018-19 season.
The Canton Charge is owned by a group led by Cavaliers Chairman and majority owner Dan Gilbert. Leading business operations for the Charge is Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Mike Levy. Overseeing basketball operations is Director of G League Operations Brendon Yu, and the team is led by Head Coach Nate Reinking. The Charge play all of their home games at the Canton Memorial Civic Center in downtown Canton.