Cover

VISIT PORTLAND / 31

PHOTOS, FROM TOP: COURTESY MAINE RED CLAWS; COURTESY MAINE RED CLAWS/ AVERY BRADLEY-RICH OBREY/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

BANNER DAYS

Professional sports dominate Greater Portland’s landscape as the

world championship all-stars of tomorrow make their mark on their

way to the major leagues.

PORTLAND SEA DOGS

Catch a ball at Hadlock Field when the AA

Eastern League Portland Sea Dogs are at

bat. Baseball greats such as David Ortiz,

Anthony Rizzo and Jackie Bradley, Jr. have

taken the field. Boston’s farm team, with its

own green Maine Monster in left field, has

claimed 6 division titles, with many alumni

making World Series history on the Red

Sox and Cubs championship teams.

MAINE MARINERS

JoinMariner Madness as the newest East

Coast Hockey League (ECHL) team takes the

ice for their inaugural season at Cross

Insurance Arena. Action-packed play will soon

have AA players on breakways to the NHL.

MAINE MAMMOTHS

Experience fast-paced indoor football

played on 50-yard fields when The Maine

Mammoths take the field in the Cross

Insurance Arena. Joining the National

Arena League (NAL), the expansion team

will be the first arena football team to call

Maine home.

MAINE RED CLAWS

Voted a top destination in the NBA G

League, this Boston Celtics affiliate is in their

10th season. Former and current Celtics stars

Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart and Terry

Rozier have suited up for Crustacean Nation.

There is no better place to see NBA-level

talent up close than the Portland Expo.

Portland Expo is home court for the Maine Red Claws

There are no better fans in the league than

right here in Maine. When I have basketball

camps and I tell kids my story, they’re like, ‘You

played in Maine…?’ I experienced a lot, and I

feel like it made me not only the person I am

today, but the basketball player I am. [Being

on the Red Claws] was really, really big for me.

And [playing in Maine] did help me gain that

confidence within myself.

—-Excerpt from ESPN interview

Avery Bradley started his career with the

Maine Red Claws NBA G League team before

being promoted to the Boston Celtics for seven

seasons. He is currently playing for the Los

Angeles Clippers.

ONCE UPON A STAR

AVERY BRADLEY, SHOOTING GUARD

MAINE RED CLAWS (2010-2011)

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