/EINPresswire.com/ -- ORLANDO, FL--(Marketwired - April 12, 2017) - After much suspense and deliberation, the Orlando Magic's Development League (D-League) affiliate in Lakeland announced the winning team name -- Lakeland Magic! The team name was selected from thousands of entries. The winning name was first entered by Nemanja Kovacevic. Kovacevic will win a pair of season tickets to the Lakeland Magic's 2017-18 season.

In addition, the first 10 people who participated in the contest will receive a pair of opening night tickets for the inaugural Lakeland Magic season. Season ticket deposits for the 2017-18 season are being accepted by calling 863-825-3258 or logging on to www.lakelandmagic.com.

"After careful, thoughtful consideration, and to create synergy and extend the Orlando Magic brand, we made the determination to call our team the Lakeland Magic," said Lakeland Magic President Shelly Wilkes. "We appreciate all of the entries and enthusiasm with our 'name the team contest,' and we received multiple entries for the name Magic -- which we ended up concurring with and ultimately choosing."

The Lakeland Magic also announced RP Funding as the team's inaugural Founding Partner. RP Funding, a direct mortgage leader which underwrites, closes and funds its own loans in order to offer customers the best deals and a superior level of service. As a Founding Partner, RP Funding will receive prominent exposure at the Lakeland Magic's home, The Lakeland Center.

"We are honored to have RP Funding join our family," said Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martins. "This is yet another example of a progressive company showing its commitment to our team. We believe this partnership will be mutually beneficial and will provide the opportunity for RP Funding to deliver a direct, positive and engaging message to our fan-base and beyond. Through this new agreement, together we will also seek opportunities for local outreach."

RP Funding President/Owner, Robert Palmer, a Lakeland native, represents one of the first businesses to support its hometown team, the Lakeland Magic. In addition to RP Funding, Palmer has started a number of other businesses under the Robert Palmer Companies umbrella. He also shares his financial, real estate and marketing knowledge on his radio show "Saving Thousands" on iHeart radio, which is broadcast throughout Florida.

"RP Funding is thrilled to join the Orlando and Lakeland Magic families and be a part of this historic moment in the city of Lakeland," said RP Funding President and Owner Robert Palmer. "As someone born and raised in Polk County, I'm honored to do my part to enhance the rich history and tradition here while helping shape the future of sports in Lakeland."

The Lakeland Magic also unveiled its inaugural team logo. The new logo incorporates the Orlando Magic's current jersey/logo wordmark giving it an integrated look from Orlando to Lakeland. It continues the original Magic team's colors with the Magic blue, Magic black and Magic silver. The logo also incorporates the team's presenting partner, HomeValue.com, a Robert Palmer Company.

The look features five of the iconic stars to represent each player on the court creating a smooth transition from Orlando to Lakeland. These five stars pay homage to Orlando's iconic silver-colored stars that have been part of the team's logo lineage. The silver stars were originally featured prominently as replacements for the letter "a" in both "Orlando" and "Magic" within the team's first logo in 1989. The silver stars have remained a part of the Magic's logo throughout the years and live on in the Lakeland Magic, building on the heritage of the Orlando Magic while creating a history all its own in Lakeland.

ABOUT THE ORLANDO MAGIC

Orlando's NBA franchise since 1989, the Magic's mission is to be world champions on and off the court, delivering legendary moments every step of the way. The Magic have seen great success in a relatively short history, winning five division championships (1995, 1996, 2008, 2009, 2010) with seven 50-plus win seasons and capturing the Eastern Conference title in 1995 and 2009. Off the court, on an annual basis, the Orlando Magic gives more than $2 million to the local community by way of sponsorships of events, donated tickets, autographed merchandise and grants. Orlando Magic community relations programs impact an estimated 100,000 kids each year, while a Magic staff-wide initiative provides more than 7,000 volunteer hours annually. In addition, with major support from OMYF over the last 27 years, more than $22 million has been distributed to local nonprofit community organizations through the Orlando Magic Youth Fund, which serves at-risk youth. Ticket highlights for the Magic's 2016-17 season in the Amway Center, honored with TheStadiumBusiness Awards' 2013 Customer Experience Award and named SportsBusiness Journal's 2012 Sports Facility of the Year, include: 2,500 seats priced $20 or less, 8,000 seats priced $40 or less and 9,000 seats priced $50 or under. For ticket information log on to www.orlandomagic.com or call 407-89-MAGIC.

ABOUT THE LAKELAND MAGIC

On December 14, 2016, the Orlando Magic and the NBA Development League announced that the Magic purchased the Erie BayHawks with plans to relocate the team to Lakeland, Fla. and begin play during the 2017-18 season. With the purchase, the Magic became the 17th NBA team to own and operate their NBA D-League affiliate, the Lakeland Magic. The franchise will play its 24 home games at The Lakeland Center. The Lakeland Magic season is made up of 50 regular-season games plus a postseason and runs from November to April. Season ticket deposits for the 2017-18 season are now being accepted by calling 863-825-3258 or logging on to www.lakelandmagic.com.

ABOUT ROBERT PALMER COMPANIES

Based in Central Florida, Robert Palmer Companies provide real estate-related services locally and across the country. In addition to RP Funding, one of the leading direct mortgage lenders in Central Florida, the Robert Palmer Companies also features RP Title and Escrow providing residential and commercial real estate closing services; 'Saving Thousands' radio program and ARMR Appraisal Management, a full-service residential real estate appraisal management company. Most recently, Robert Palmer Companies launched two marketing-tech companies: Homevalue.com, which provides personalized reports on homeowners' property values from a local real estate agent and Listing Power Tools, a company that helps real estate agents craft the perfect listing presentation. For more information visit www.robertpalmercompanies.com.