NBA Development League
Sport	Basketball
Founded	2001
No. of teams	16
Country(ies)	United States
Most recent champion(s)	Idaho Stampede
TV partner(s)	NBA TV
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 2007-08, the league had 14 teams, with each D-League team being affiliated with 1 or 2 NBA teams. For the 2008-09 season, the league will have 16 teams.

History

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 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.¹² 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 Dazzle⁵ and Fayetteville Patriots.⁶ The Florida Flame have suspended operations due to arena scheduling difficulties. ⁷ Today, no D-League teams remain in the NBDL's original Southeastern footprint.

Successful NBA call-ups

Many former NBA draftees and waived players have participated in the NBA D-League. Some of the NBA D-League players that have gone on to successful NBA careers include Rafer Alston, Chris Andersen, Kelenna Azubuike, Matt Barnes, Devin Brown, Matt Carroll, Jordan Farmar, Chuck Hayes, Jamario Moon, Mikki Moore, Bobby Simmons, Jose Juan Barea, Ime Udoka, C.J. Watson, Ramon Sessions.

15% of NBA players on end of season 2007-08 rosters had spent time in the NBA Development League at some point in their career.

Special events

The NBA Development League 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.⁸

The second game was on February 16, 2008 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Blue team beat the Red team, 117-99 and Jeremy Richardson was the MVP. In addition to the NBA D-League All-Star Game, the league debuted its DREAM FACTORY FRIDAY NIGHT events - which included a three-point competition, a slam dunk contest and a game of H.O.R.S.E.⁹

The league also stages an annual NBA 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. In 2008, it took place on January 14-17 in Boise, Idaho. In 2009, it will take place January 5-8 in Orem, Utah.

Player allocations

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. The minimum age to play in the NBDL is 18,¹⁰ unlike the NBA which requires players to be 19 years old and one year out of high school in order to sign an NBA contract or be eligible for the draft.

NBA teams can call up players as many times as they choose, but a player can only be assigned to the NBA D-League three times in a season.¹¹

2008-09 NBA Development League teams

¹²

Future expansion

The league has targeted the Dallas suburb of Frisco, Texas for a potential expansion location, for the 2009-10 season.¹³ The Toronto Raptors are engaged in discussions to bring a D-League team to Southern Ontario by 2009-10,¹⁴ most likely to Hamilton, but Oshawa remains a possibility.¹⁵ Palm Springs, California is also being considered as an expansion site.

Two groups are vying for affiliation with the Boston Celtics. The Portland City Council has agreed to lease the Portland Exposition Building to a group of investors that wants to bring an NBA Development League team to Maine's largest city.¹⁶ In addition to this group the Manchester Millrats, of the American Basketball Association, formed with a long-term goal of joining the D-League, have opened preliminary talks with the NBA about a partnership with the Boston Celtics and playing at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire.¹⁷ The owner of the Halifax Rainmen is currently pursuing ownership of a D-League team in Halifax, Nova Scotia.¹⁸ Other possibilities in the East for D-League teams include Toledo, Ohio¹⁹; Harlem, New York; Youngstown, Ohio; Trenton, New Jersey Rockford, Illinois and Sioux City, Iowa .²⁰

Inactive teams

Defunct teams

Champions

Note: In the 2001–2002 and 2002–2003 seasons, (and resuming with the 2007-08 season) the championship has been a best-of-three game series.

NBA Development League MVPs

• 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
• 2007-2008 Kasib Powell, Sioux Falls Skyforce

See also

• NBA Development League Standings
• List of developmental and minor sports leagues

References

External links

• Official D-League website
• Official D League
• DraftExpress.com D-League Blog