GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The Grand Rapids Gold is officially moving its home court to Van Andel Arena, the team announced Thursday.

Its games during the regular season will be played at the arena for the next five seasons, the team said in a release.

The NBA G League team has called the DeltaPlex home since being founded as the Grand Rapids Drive in 2014, but the venue is set to close permanently on July 31.

Following DeltaPlex announcement, Gold President Steve Jbara said he was looking for a venue that could seat at least 6,000 people, handle a 24-game home schedule and sell beer. Not many other locations outside of Van Andel Arena fit those criteria.

“Our goal has always been to provide an elite level of basketball to the West Michigan community,” Jbara said in the release. “This move further solidifies our efforts to elevate all aspects of our fan experience, and we’re looking forward to calling Van Andel Arena home for future seasons.”

The official announcement of the move to Van Andel marks a return of professional basketball to the arena after 20 years. The Grand Rapids Hoops played there when Van Andel opened in 1996 until 2002.

Fans can purchase 2022-23 season tickets now by calling 844.9GR.GOLD or by emailing tconner@nbagrandrapids.com.

— News 8’s Madalyn Buursma contributed to this report.