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NBA Development League
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| NBA Development League | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Sport | Basketball |
| Founded | 2001 |
| No. of teams | 14 |
| Country(ies) |  United States |
| Most recent champion(s) | Dakota Wizards |
| Official website | NBA.com/dleague |
The NBA Development League, or D-League, is the National Basketball Association's officially sponsored and operated developmental basketball organization. Known until summer 2005 as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL), the D-League started with eight teams in the fall of 2001. In March 2005, NBA commissioner David Stern announced a plan to expand the D-League to fifteen teams and develop it into a true minor league farm system, with two NBA teams sharing each D-League team. In 2006-07, the league had 12 teams, with each D-League team being affiliated with between 1 and 3 NBA teams.
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The league began play as the NBDL in the 2001-2002 season; the original eight franchises were all located in the southeastern United States (specifically in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, and Georgia). Some of these teams were purchased by private owners and relocated — at the same time the league's name was changed — in the summer of 2005 in a bid to appeal to more fans nationwide. As a result, franchises were established in or moved to Texas, New Mexico, Arkansas, Florida and Oklahoma. In February of 2006, the D-League expanded to California for the first time with the addition of the Bakersfield Jam. Two months later, the league announced that four teams from the Continental Basketball Association were joining the league: the Dakota Wizards, Sioux Falls Skyforce, Idaho Stampede, and a team originally slated for CBA expansion, the Colorado 14ers.[1][2] A few days after that, the league announced that Anaheim, California, would be getting a team.[3] One week after that, they announced that the Los Angeles Lakers have purchased a team, making them the first NBA team to own a D-League team.[4] The westward expansion and box office struggles have led to the closing of the NBA-owned Roanoke Dazzle[5] and Fayetteville Patriots.[6] The Florida Flame have suspended operations due to arena scheduling difficulties. [7]
For the 2007-08 season, the owners of the Utah Jazz have announced a new expansion team in Orem, Utah to begin play as the Utah Flash.[8] Also, teams in Rio Grande Valley [9], Des Moines, Iowa [10] and Fort Wayne, IN have been announced to begin play that same season.
The league has also targeted the Dallas suburb of Frisco, Texas for a potential expansion location, for the 2008-09 season.[11]
The league hopes to have at least 16 teams before the 2009-10 season.
Many former NBA draftees and waived players have participated in the D-League. Some of the D-League players that have gone on to successful NBA careers include Matt Carroll, Chris Andersen, Devin Brown, Kelenna Azubuike, Bobby Simmons, and Mikki Moore.
The NBADL held its first all-star game February 17, 2007 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was part of the NBA All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas. As with the NBA's showcase game, a fan vote determined the starting lineup for each team. The East won 114 to 100, with Pops Mensah-Bonsu named the game's MVP.[12]
The league also stages an annual D-League Showcase in which all of the league's teams play each other in a "carnival" format. In 2007, it took place on January 15-17 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Players for D-League teams do not sign contracts with the individual teams, but with the league itself. D-League team rosters consist of a total of 12 players, 10 (or fewer) being D-League players and 2 (or more) NBA players. The rosters are made up in a number of ways - the previous years' players, players taken in the D-League draft, allocation players (meaning players who are assigned to a team with which they have a local connection, such as a University of Texas player being assigned to the Austin Toros), NBA team assignments, and local tryouts. Each NBA team can assign two first or second year players to its affiliated D-League team. If more than two NBA players are assigned to a team, the team must reduce the number of D-League players to keep the total roster size to 12. Each team also has local tryouts and one player from the tryouts is assigned to the team.
NBA teams can call up players as many times as they choose, but a player can only be sent down to the D-League three times in a season.[13]
(Teams listed with 2007-08 NBA affiliates) [1]
- Asheville Altitude 2001-2005 (moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma)
- Charleston Lowgators 2001-2004 (moved to South Fort Myers, Florida)
- Columbus Riverdragons 2001-2005 (moved to Austin, Texas)
- Fayetteville Patriots 2001-2006
- Greenville Groove 2001-2003
- Huntsville Flight 2001-2005 (moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico)
- Mobile Revelers 2001-2003
- Roanoke Dazzle 2001-2006
| Season | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-2002 | Greenville Groove | 2-0 | North Charleston Lowgators |
| 2002-2003 | Mobile Revelers | 2-1 | Fayetteville Patriots |
| 2003-2004 | Asheville Altitude | 108-106 (OT)[14] | Huntsville Flight |
| 2004-2005 | Asheville Altitude | 90-67[15] | Columbus Riverdragons |
| 2005-2006 | Albuquerque Thunderbirds | 119-108[16] | Fort Worth Flyers |
| 2006-2007 | Dakota Wizards | 129-121 (OT) | Colorado 14ers |
Note: In the 2001–2002 and 2002–2003 seasons, the Championship was a best of three game series.
- 2001-2002 Ansu Sesay, Greenville Groove
- 2002-2003 Devin Brown, Fayetteville Patriots
- 2003-2004 Tierre Brown, Charleston Lowgators
- 2004-2005 Matt Carroll, Roanoke Dazzle
- 2005-2006 Marcus Fizer, Austin Toros
- 2006-2007 Randy Livingston, Idaho Stampede
- ^ "Four teams to leave CBA for NBA Development League", Continental Basketball Association, 2006-04-06. Retrieved on 2006-08-12.
- ^ "NBA Development League Expands To Four Cities", NBA.com, 2006-04-06. Retrieved on 2006-08-12.
- ^ "NBA Development League Expands To Anaheim", NBA.com, 2006-04-11. Retrieved on 2006-08-12.
- ^ Sheridan, Chris. "NBA approves Lakers' ownership of D-League team", ESPN, 2006-04-19. Retrieved on 2006-08-12.
- ^ "D-League Will No Longer Operate Roanoke Dazzle", NBA.com, 2006-05-01. Retrieved on 2006-08-12.
- ^ "D-League Will No Longer Operate In Fayetteville", NBA.com, 2006-05-02. Retrieved on 2006-08-12.
- ^ "12 teams to comprise NBA Development League in 2007-08", oursportscentral.com, 2006-05-08. Retrieved on 2006-08-12.
- ^ "Jazz Notes: D-League team expected in Orem", Salt Lake Tribune, 2006-12-01. Retrieved on 2006-12-02.
- ^ Associated Press. "NBA Development League to expand to South Texas", Houston Chronicle, 2007-01-26. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
- ^ Witosky, Tom. "Des Moines set to announce new pro basketball team", Des Moines Register, 2007-02-26. Retrieved on 2007-02-27.
- ^ Sefko, Eddie. "Frisco may get new D-League team", The Dallas Morning News, 2007-11-29. Retrieved on 2007-11-29.
- ^ Brennan, Matthew (2007-02-21). Mensah-Bonsu, East Team Come Out On Top. NBA.com. NBA. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
- ^ Brennan, Matthew. D-League 101: A Beginner’s Guide. NBA.com. NBA. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
- ^ "Flight can't reach Altitude for NBDL title", USA Today, 2004-04-26. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
- ^ Asheville 90, Columbus 67: Altitude Repeat as NBDL Champions. NBA.com. NBA (2005-04-23). Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
- ^ Stevenson, Stefan. "T-Birds get an A-plus, take home a trophy", Albuquerque Tribune, 2006-04-23. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
| NBA Development League | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Division | Southwest Division | West Division | |
| Dakota Wizards | Albuquerque Thunderbirds | Anaheim Arsenal | |
| Fort Wayne Mad Ants | Austin Toros | Bakersfield Jam | |
| Iowa Energy | Colorado 14ers | Idaho Stampede | |
| Sioux Falls Skyforce | Rio Grande Valley Vipers | Los Angeles D-Fenders | |
| Tulsa 66ers | Utah Flash | ||
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Men's professional basketball leagues
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