DLeague Expanding

[Kori Ellis]

NBA Development League Expands to Bakersfield

Bakersfield Professional Sports, LLC Bringing Jam to Rabobank Arena, Southern California

NEW YORK, February 14 - NBA Commissioner David Stern announced today that the NBA Development League has awarded a team to Bakersfield, Calif. for the 2006-07 season.

The team will be owned and operated by Bakersfield Professional Sports, LLC, which includes businessmen Stan Ellis and David Higdon of Bakersfield, as well as Tet Yama a and Steve Chase of Los Angeles.

"We are delighted to welcome our newest ownership group to the NBA Development League during what will be an important period of expansion," Stern said. "Stan Ellis, Steve Chase, Tet Yama a and David Higdon, who combine business and marketing skills with basketball experience, will be a vital part of the D-League's growth."

Bakersfield's entry into the D-League will be called the "Jam" and will play its home games at Rabobank Arena. The NBA Development League currently includes the Albuquerque Thunderbirds (N.M.), Arkansas RimRockers (Little Rock), Austin Toros (Texas), Fayetteville Patriots (N.C.), Florida Flame (Ft. Myers), Fort Worth Flyers (Texas), Roanoke Dazzle (Va.) and Tulsa 66ers (Okla.).

"We are thrilled to offer such a fine entertainment product to Bakersfield. Being a part of the NBA family allows us to bring the most skilled basketball players on the planet that are not already in the NBA to Bakersfield," Ellis said. "Affordable ticket prices and great players at a world class arena is a combination that will bring thrills to Bakersfield basketball fans for years to come."

"I want to thank Commissioner Stern for his confidence in bringing Bakersfield into the D-League and the NBA family," Chase said. "This ownership group is committed to providing the team with all the tools necessary to become a championship organization."

D-League affiliations with NBA teams began with the start of the 2005-06 season as part of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement reached between the NBA and the NBA Players Association. Sixteen (16) NBA teams have already assigned 21 players to their D-League affiliates, including eight selections from the 2005 NBA Draft. Among those are three first-round picks in Martell Webster (6th overall) of Portland, Gerald Green of Boston (18th overall) and Julius Hodge of Denver (20th overall).

The NBA D-League began operation in November 2001 and has continually offered players the opportunity to develop their talent in a highly compe ive atmosphere under the NBA's umbrella. Thirty-eight (38) players have been called up to the NBA on 56 separate occasions. Eleven (11) former D-League coaches, six athletic trainers, 14 referees and 30 front office executives have also earned promotions to the NBA since the start of the league's inaugural season.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

The Albuquerque D-league team is starting to draw more folks. The team is still somewhat off the radar in NM, but it's pretty good basketball for those that go check it out. I think the owners were hoping to average about 4,000 a game and I think they get about half that on most nights. But attendance has surged up lately as more people discover that this is a decent product after all.

I've been impressed at the level of play. The games seem more compe ive, with better defense and team-inspired play than the CBA games I've seen in the past.

[ChumpDumper]

I would say much the same for Austin's numbers, though their attendance goals had to be lower since the converted exhibit hall they play in only holds about 3200 people. Fayetteville and Fort Meyers' teams are going to have to move since they draw so poorly. Maybe Roanoke too, though they'll probably stay in Virginia.

[Marklar MM]

Detroit will take Fayetteville...lord knows we need more basketball to go to.

[timvp]

I don't know why DLeague basketball doesn't catch on in small town America. I'm guessing the NBA is going to give it a few more years before they decide whether to send the whole league to Europe or Australia or something.

[ChumpDumper]

They started out way too small in the southeast in tiny markets. I don't know why they didn't start out in the larger markets they didn't have designs on for NBA franchises in the first place.

I can only think that Arkansas is fully meeting expectations currently. There is apparently alot to be learned from the CBA, as they tend to draw pretty well in smaller markets than the new D-League teams.

[Brutalis]

I don't know why DLeague basketball doesn't catch on in small town America. I'm guessing the NBA is going to give it a few more years before they decide whether to send the whole league to Europe or Australia or something.

It caught on in Arkansas if that counts as small town.

[FromWayDowntown]

It caught on in Arkansas if that counts as small town.

Is that like Utah being a bad city, as Dirk Nowitzki once said?

[ducks]

the nba does not know how to promate anything
they only promate the mvp's and they do not do that well

[Brutalis]

come again?

[ducks]

the nba marketing sucks

[ducks]

they only promate players in the nba that play for the ing lakers

[NZHayden]

I don't know why DLeague basketball doesn't catch on in small town America. I'm guessing the NBA is going to give it a few more years before they decide whether to send the whole league to Europe or Australia or something.

move it to oz