Raleigh Firebirds Basketball

What Raleigh Firebirds Basketball does

The Raleigh Firebirds are a professional men's basketball team competing in The Basketball League (TBL), a 48-team minor professional league across North America. The franchise was formed in December 2017 through Pro Basketball Raleigh, LLC — a North Carolina LLC owned by managing member Wade Harris and co-founding member Kell Peterson, with strategic advisors including NC State, Duke, and UNC basketball legends — and began play in 2019. The team represents Wake County, Raleigh, NC, and has achieved its most competitive results in 2024 (Eastern Conference Championship) and 2025 (South Atlantic Division Championship, 18-4 record).

The team's product is live professional basketball entertainment, delivered through single-game tickets at $20, season plans starting at $216, free live streaming via TBLTV.TV, and branded merchandise through a Wooter-powered team store. There is no proprietary technology stack; operations rely on standard third-party platforms (Wix website, Wooter merchandise, TBLTV streaming, TicketSmarter distribution). Revenue is generated through three streams: transactional ticket sales, annual corporate sponsorships structured in three tiers (Gold $5,000, Silver $2,500, Bronze $1,500), and merchandise transactions. Named partners include Duke Raleigh Hospital (healthcare/community), Hilton (power sponsor), and TicketSmarter (ticketing distribution).

The go-to-market is event-driven, concentrated in a March-to-May game window, supplemented by year-round community engagement (STEM, health awareness, financial literacy programming in Wake County public schools) and digital content via blog, social media, and video. The customer base consists of local sports fans and families (primary) and regional corporate sponsors (secondary). The organization is privately held with no disclosed revenue, headcount, funding, or institutional investors.

Name

Raleigh Firebirds Basketball

Legal name

Pro Basketball Raleigh, LLC

Website

https://raleighfirebirds.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Raleigh Firebirds are a privately held professional men's basketball team in The Basketball League (TBL), based in Raleigh, NC. They generate revenue from ticket sales, tiered corporate sponsorships, merchandise, and TBLTV streaming, serving local fans and regional sponsors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Sports Entertainment

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Spectator Sports (71121)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Basketball Leagues (MPAKAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cause, Community & CSR-Linked Sports Partnerships (Foundations, Youth Programs) (MPAKALAJ), Sports Community Relations & Grassroots Program Management (MPAKAKAJ)

Keywords

• Professional basketball team
• Live sports entertainment
• Game ticket sales
• Team merchandise
• Corporate sports sponsorship

Headquarters

HQ city

Raleigh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from single game tickets ($20) and season ticket plans (starting at $216). Fans can purchase tickets through the team website or TicketSmarter partnership.
2. Sponsorship Packages: Three-tier sponsorship program: Gold ($5,000/year), Silver ($2,500/year), Bronze ($1,500/year). Each tier provides branded booth space, complimentary tickets, social media features, and game day activations.
3. Merchandise Sales: Team store selling Firebirds branded merchandise including apparel through their online storefront.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Raleigh Firebirds are a professional men's basketball team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, competing in The Basketball League (TBL). They sell single-game tickets ($20) and season ticket plans (starting at $216), sell branded merchandise through their team store, stream games live via TBLTV, and offer three-tier corporate sponsorship packages (Gold $5,000, Silver $2,500, Bronze $1,500). The organization also delivers community youth programs in STEM education, health awareness, and financial literacy.

Product overview

Raleigh Firebirds Basketball is a professional men's basketball team operating as a single-product entertainment service within The Basketball League (TBL). The organization offers game attendance (single-game tickets at $20 or season plans from $216), live streaming via TBLTV.TV, official merchandise through a team store, and corporate sponsorship packages (Gold $5,000, Silver $2,500, Bronze $1,500). The products form a unified fan experience connecting game attendance with digital content and merchandise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Single Game Tickets In-person single game tickets priced at $20 per game granting access to Raleigh Firebirds professional basketball home games. Sold to local fans, families, and basketball enthusiasts.
• Season Ticket Plans Season ticket plans starting at $216 that provide discounted access to all home games during the professional basketball season. Targeted at dedicated fans seeking season-long access.
• Team Store Merchandise Official Firebirds branded apparel and merchandise sold through an online e-commerce storefront for fans and supporters.
• Gold Sponsorship Package Premium $5,000 per year corporate sponsorship including customized in-game sponsorship messages, branded booth at all home games, weekly social media features, 10 complimentary tickets per home game, podcast features, and selective merchandise.
• Silver Sponsorship Package Mid-tier $2,500 per year corporate sponsorship including game mentions, branded booth at 5 home games, 5 complimentary tickets per home game, bi-weekly social media features, two banners per game, and highlighted newsletter section.
• Bronze Sponsorship Package Entry-level $1,500 per year corporate sponsorship including branded booth at 3 home games, 3 complimentary tickets per home game, monthly social media features, and one banner per game.
• Live Game Streaming Live streaming of all Firebirds home games broadcast through TBLTV.tv, allowing fans worldwide to watch games online remotely.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2025 South Atlantic Division Championship
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Duke Raleigh HospitalcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 April 2024Strategic partnership with Duke Raleigh Hospital as an official corporate sponsor. Duke Raleigh Hospital provides support to the team's performance, outreach, and community presence. At Firebirds home games attended by Duke Raleigh Hospital, their head and neck cancer screening team provides fan engagement with information about their services and complementary screenings.
• Pro Basketball Raleigh LLCflagshipOthers · 1 December 2017Ownership of the Raleigh Firebirds TBL franchise is held by Pro Basketball Raleigh, LLC, an entity formed in North Carolina by Wade Harris (managing member) and Kell Peterson (founding member). The entity has received strategic advice from Derrick Whittenburg (NC State Basketball Legend), Robert Brickey (Duke Basketball Legend), Phil Ford (UNC Basketball Legend), and Hill Carrow.
• TicketSmartercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTicketSmarter is the official ticketing partner offering exclusive 5% discount code (FIREBIRDS5) for Raleigh Firebirds fans. The partnership provides access to over 125,000 events including concerts, sports, and theatrical productions. TicketSmarter offers special pricing for Firebirds tickets.
• The Basketball League (TBL)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Firebirds are a member franchise of The Basketball League (TBL), a professional basketball league with 48 teams. TBL provides league infrastructure, scheduling, officiating, and championship events including the 'Lillie' trophy.
• HiltonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHilton is listed as a power sponsor for the team, with branding featured on the official website.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Athletes Unlimited Basketball: Player-centric professional basketball league with a rotating team model. Operates in the same professional basketball entertainment space with league infrastructure and sponsorship sales, but with a distinct competitive structure that gives it partial, niche overlap with TBL franchises.

Direct peers

• Carolina Coyotes: TBL team in the same South Atlantic Division as the Firebirds. Runs an essentially identical minor professional basketball franchise structure with overlapping geographic reach in the Carolinas, making it a directly comparable peer.
• Savannah Buccaneers: TBL member team that competes directly against the Raleigh Firebirds in The Basketball League. Operates the same minor professional basketball model with tickets, sponsorships, and merchandise revenue, making it the closest directly comparable franchise.
• Newfoundland Rogues: TBL member franchise with the same operational model as the Firebirds. Competes in the same professional minor-league format, providing a directly comparable TBL peer despite a different geographic footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Westchester Knicks: NBA G League affiliate of the New York Knicks. A larger, NBA-affiliated minor professional basketball franchise that competes in the same broad minor-league professional basketball space as the Firebirds but with substantially more resources and visibility.
• Long Island Nets: NBA G League affiliate of the Brooklyn Nets. Another NBA-affiliated minor professional basketball franchise operating a similar team-based entertainment product, but with the structural advantages of NBA affiliation.
• Harlem Globetrotters: Iconic exhibition basketball entertainment brand that delivers basketball as a live spectator product. Directly comparable to the Firebirds' core offering of basketball-as-entertainment, but at a vastly larger scale, broader geographic reach, and global brand recognition.
• Lakeland Magic: NBA G League affiliate of the Orlando Magic. Operates a professional minor basketball franchise in a comparable capacity to the Firebirds, but with NBA organizational backing and a more established commercial operation.
• Maine Celtics: NBA G League affiliate of the Boston Celtics. Represents a more established and better-resourced minor professional basketball franchise within the NBA ecosystem, serving as a benchmark for what scaled minor-league basketball operations look like.

Others

• BIG3: 3-on-3 professional basketball league featuring former NBA stars. Operates as a comparable professional basketball entertainment property with league structure, sponsorships, and broadcast, though with a fundamentally different on-court format than TBL.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/RaleighFirebir1
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCn9q0vd8l_ZyZlFVwHeet2w
• Facebookfacebook.com/raleighfirebirds
• Instagraminstagram.com/raleighfirebirdz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/raleigh-firebirds

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Raleigh Firebirds Basketball