G League Watch: Long Island Nets Home Opener Announced

The Long Island Nets’ next home opener was officially announced for Nov. 7, 2025, at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, per the team’s official social media accounts. Long Island is the Brooklyn Nets’ G League affiliate.

The Nets finished 17-17 in this past G League regular season. The roster, as with most teams in the NBA’s developmental league, featured constant turnover. However, Long Island players also received chances with Brooklyn’s main team. 

That was the case of Drew Timme, for instance, who excelled in the G League and was eventually signed to a standard NBA contract. Other Long Island players to receive NBA opportunities with Brooklyn included Tosan Evbuomwan, Tyson Etienne and Kendall Brown (although he didn’t appear in a game). Keon Johnson also developed in the G League two seasons ago.

Notably, Long Island will stay at the Nassau Coliseum. The arena’s future had been in question throughout most of last season, as the Las Vegas Sands conglomerate intended to build a casino and resort project on its property. The Nassau County Legislature had approved a 42-year lease of the Coliseum's property to Sands. Sands withdrew its casino plan in April because of concerns over online gambling. 

Bruce Blakeman, the Nassau County Executive who supported Sands’ proposal, said that there was “strong interest from gaming organizations which have been in confidential discussions with Nassau County in taking the place of Sands in the licensing application process.” 

A Nov. 2023 Newsday/Siena College poll found that 49% of Nassau County residents were against the Sands casino, while 42% were in support. Each side maintained 46% support across when taking into account all of Long Island.

In May, a Hempstead Town Hall meeting was marked by "the potential return of the controversial casino plan," per News12 Long Island. The New York State (NYS) Gaming Facility Location Board previously determined that applications for commercial casino licenses are due on June 27.

“This timeline encompasses all legal requirements that potential bidders must meet before we may evaluate applications,” Vicki Been, chair of the NYS Gaming Facility Location Board, said in a press release. “This roadmap also gives communities ample opportunity to have their voices heard, establishes a level playing field among multiple competitors, and affords serious applicants the opportunity to participate in a lucrative and transformational process.”

Last season, the Nets’ G League team played six ‘home’ games in Montreal, Canada. These games took place on Jan. 24 and 26, Feb. 5 and 8 and March 13 and 14 at the 10,000-seat Place Bell arena. Long Island has played at the Nassau Coliseum since 2017.