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93-655: The Rio Grande Valley Vipers are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Edinburg, Texas , and are affiliated with the Houston Rockets . The Vipers play their home games at the Bert Ogden Arena . The Vipers have won four league titles in 2010, 2013, 2019, and 2022, the most for any club in league history, and they also have made the most championship series in league history, having made it seven times to

186-652: A developmental league for over two decades. The NBA had attempted to buy the CBA in March 2000, but they were rejected. The league began its play as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) in the 2001–02 season ; the eight franchises were all located in the southeastern United States (in Virginia , North Carolina , South Carolina , Alabama , and Georgia ). Each team logo was given NBDL branding that

279-520: A hot streak, winning their first 9 games of the season; the 10 wins from the previous season combined with the nine here made for a 19-game winning streak, the longest streak in D-League regular-season history. While the Vipers finished 30–20 for a fifth-place finish among all teams, they shot a whopping 2,268 three-point attempts, which averaged to 45 shots a game. On February 26, 2015, the Vipers broke ground on

372-498: A new arena in Edinburg called Bert Ogden Arena , which was originally scheduled for completion in October 2016. The arena was reportedly initially designed to house 8,500 seats, along with being a venue used for entertainment. The Vipers would serve as the main tenant and operator (with the City of Edinburg acting as owner of the arena), complete with a 40-by-20 foot jumbotron , the largest in

465-540: A pro-rated portion of the NBA minimum rookie salary (which was $ 815,615 in the 2017–18 season). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, two-way players in 2020–21 were initially allowed to play up to 50 games in the NBA. Late in the season, restrictions were further lifted, allowing them to play more than 50 games as well as being eligible for the NBA playoffs. Many former NBA draftees, waived players, and undrafted players have played in

558-636: A scouting event for NBA general managers and scouts, but evolved into a four-day event with each team playing two games apiece. From 2005 to 2017, 15 players were called-up or recalled during or immediately following the Showcase. As of 2019, the event's location was the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip . Because of limited space at the conference center site, all games are played without spectators , although TV and Internet coverage

651-749: A single-affiliation partnership. In June 2013, the Miami Heat announced that they had entered into a single-affiliated partnership with the Sioux Falls Skyforce . In July 2013, the Sacramento Kings and Reno Bighorns (now the Stockton Kings ) entered into a single-affiliation. The Stampede ended their affiliation with the Trail Blazers after the 2013–14 season and in June 2014 announced their affiliation with

744-437: A standard NBA contract to its affiliated G League team. If more than two NBA players are assigned to a team, the team must reduce the number of G League players to keep the total roster size to 12. An NBA player will continue to be paid his NBA salary and will continue to be included on his NBA team's roster on the inactive list while playing in the G League. NBA teams can call up players as many times as they choose, and there

837-471: A team's playoff roster or play in a playoff game). Only players with four or fewer years of NBA experience are eligible for two-way contracts. The league's newest CBA, which took effect with the 2023–24 season , increases the per-team limit on two-way contracts to three. Unlike other G League players, who can be called up by any NBA team, two-way players can only be called up by their contracted NBA team. Players under two-way contracts are not counted against

930-494: Is available for all games. The 2019 showcase was a series of mini-tournaments in which the winning team shared a $ 100,000 grand prize. Before Las Vegas, host cities were Columbus, Georgia (2005); Fayetteville, North Carolina (2006); Sioux Falls, South Dakota (2007); Boise, Idaho (2008); Orem, Utah (2009); Boise, Idaho (2010); South Padre Island, Texas (2011); Reno, Nevada in 2012 and 2013; Santa Cruz, California in 2015; and Mississauga, Ontario in 2017 and 2018. It

1023-513: Is no limit to the number of times an NBA player with three years or less experience can be assigned to the G League. Starting in 2011–12, veteran NBA players could be assigned with their consent. The first example of such was with Yi Jianlian , who the Dallas Mavericks assigned to the Texas Legends for two games. The 2017 collective bargaining agreement for the NBA, which took effect with

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1116-666: Is not chosen as an opponent by the top three seeds. This was the first Finals to feature teams with a single affiliation partnership, which featured the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (operated by the Houston Rockets ) and the Tulsa 66ers (operated by the Oklahoma City Thunder ). The Vipers won Game 1 and then finished Game 2 with a last-second shot by Craig Winder to win their first championship. Notes Notes The Eastern and Western Conference winners, along with

1209-621: Is the minor league organization of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league was founded in 2001 as the National Basketball Development League ( NBDL ), renamed the NBA Development League ( NBA D-League ) in 2005. It received its present name in 2017 under a deal with Gatorade , becoming the first U.S. professional sports league named for an advertiser. Initially eight teams,

1302-465: Is the first occasion of a triple-double since 2013 and the first ever G League Finals game to feature two triple doubles. On April 14, they defeated the Blue Coats 131–114 to win their fourth title. On February 12, 2023, they reached the 3rd place of the 2023 FIBA Intercontinental Cup . Roster Last transaction: November 21, 2024 NBA G League The NBA G League , or simply the G League ,

1395-418: Is the major source from which teams build their rosters. Team rosters are made up of returning players (players who were on the team during the previous season), players waived by an NBA team who are designated as an ' affiliate player ' to their respective G League affiliate, allocated players (players who have local significance), and drafted players. The eight round draft utilizes a serpentine format , meaning

1488-628: The 2014 draft , two D-League players were selected for the first time: P. J. Hairston was drafted 26th (which was also the first time a D-League player was drafted in the first round in the NBA), and Thanasis Antetokounmpo was the 51st pick. Other noteworthy D-League call-ups include 2019 NBA Champion Jeremy Lin ; Hassan Whiteside ; 2011 NBA champion J. J. Barea ; 2014, 2019 and 2020 NBA champion Danny Green ; 2015, 2017, and 2018 NBA champion Shaun Livingston ; and 2017 NBA champion Matt Barnes . The league held its first All-Star game February 17, 2007, at

1581-465: The 2017–18 season , included changes allowing each NBA team to sign two players on two-way contracts . Those players spend most of their time on the team's G League roster, but can freely move to their respective NBA team for up to 45 days in the regular season, as well as be a part of the team's roster before the start of the season (including NBA training camps) and after the conclusion of the G League's regular season (though they are not allowed to be on

1674-559: The 2021–22 season . On April 16, 2020, the NBA launched a new development program for potential NBA prospects and a new unaffiliated team called the NBA G League Ignite , which began play in the 2020–21 season. The Ignite team, however, folded after the 2023–24 season. Parent club ownership: Single affiliation/hybrid model: G League teams without an exclusive affiliate: Current member Former member or former names Future member Opted out of season Other league NBA G League players generally do not sign contracts with

1767-589: The Austin Spurs ) and NBA team assignments . Each team also has local tryouts, and one player from the tryouts is assigned to the team. The minimum age to play in the G League is 18, 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. The base annual salary is US$ 35,000 plus housing and insurance benefits. Players who are called up for NBA get bonuses totalling up to US$ 50,000. The NBA G League draft occurs each season and

1860-461: The Austin Toros 104–97 in front of over 5,000 fans at home. In their debut season, they finished with a 21–29 record, failing to qualify for the playoffs. In March 2008, four games before the season ended, inaugural head coach Bob Hoffman announced his resignation, as he decided to pursue a coaching job in college basketball. The next season, they finished with the same record, failing to advance to

1953-528: The COVID-19 pandemic -curtailed 2019–20 season , the G League postponed the start of the following season . In January 2021, the league announced it would play all games at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida , using the same isolation bubble as the 2020 NBA Bubble . Many teams opted out of participation, with only 17 of the 28 teams from the 2019–20 season plus the new Ignite prospects team choosing to take part in

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2046-929: The Dakota Wizards , and the Slam Dunk Contest was won by James White of the Bakersfield Jam . The 2010 D-League All-Star game was held on February 13, 2010, at the Dallas Convention Center in Dallas . The Western Conference team defeated the Eastern Conference Team, 98–81. Bakersfield Jam center Brian Butch , who scored 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, was named as the MVP of the game. The NBA D-League also ran their third annual Dream Factory Friday Night events. The inaugural Shooting Stars Competition

2139-752: The Greensboro Swarm , the Brooklyn Nets created the Long Island Nets , and the Chicago Bulls created the Windy City Bulls . In the 2017–18 season , the D-League entered into a multi-year partnership with Gatorade and rebranded as the NBA Gatorade League, which was officially shortened to "NBA G League" prior to the season. It also continued its membership changes with the relocation of

2232-905: The Los Angeles Lakers bought their own NBA D-League franchise, originally known as the Los Angeles D-Fenders and since 2017–18 as the South Bay Lakers . This was followed by the San Antonio Spurs purchasing the Austin Toros (now the Austin Spurs ) in 2007, and the Oklahoma City Thunder purchasing the Tulsa 66ers (now the Oklahoma City Blue ) in 2008. More NBA teams began to either purchase existing franchises or create expansion teams to have their own single-affiliation teams. In 2011,

2325-696: 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. The second annual All-Star game was held on February 16, 2008, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans . The Blue team beat

2418-596: The Mexico national team held in Los Angeles . After that event, this contest did not return in any form. Since 2022, select G League players participate in the Rising Stars Challenge alongside NBA rookie and sophomore players. The league stages an annual NBA G League Showcase in which all of the league's teams play each other in a "carnival" format. The showcase was first played in 2005 was originally intended solely as

2511-555: The NBA Development League Most Valuable Player Award and got called up by the Los Angeles Lakers . After the season ended, Nurse left for an assistant coaching position eith the Toronto Raptors . In November of that year, the Vipers announced Gianluca Pascucci as the general manager and Nevada Smith as the new head coach. Smith's teams received notice for their fast pace and eclectic shooting from

2604-703: The New Jersey Nets and Springfield Armor announced they would enter into a single-affiliate partnership that began in 2011–12. In June 2011, the New York Knicks and Erie BayHawks announced they would be singly affiliated. In May 2012, the Portland Trail Blazers entered into a single-affiliation partnership with the Idaho Stampede . The following month, the Boston Celtics and Maine Red Claws announced

2697-796: The New York Knicks became the seventh team to fully own and operate their own NBA D-League affiliate in the Westchester Knicks . In 2015, the Toronto Raptors created their own expansion franchise, the Raptors 905 . In 2017, the Timberwolves purchased the Iowa Energy and renamed the team the Iowa Wolves . In 2017, the Atlanta Hawks launched their team in under the Erie BayHawks name and then relocated

2790-518: The Portland Trail Blazers announced they would be launching their affiliate, the Rip City Remix , beginning with the 2023–24 season . The Phoenix Suns then launched the Valley Suns as its affiliate team beginning with the 2024–25 season . In 2009, the Houston Rockets and Rio Grande Valley Vipers pioneered the single-affiliate partnership, also known as the hybrid model. In November 2010,

2883-800: The Utah Jazz . The Armor moved to Grand Rapids , Michigan , after the 2013–14 season and affiliated with the Detroit Pistons . From 2014 to 2017, the Memphis Grizzlies had a single-affiliation with the Iowa Energy. In 2015, the last multiple affiliate team, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants (now the Indiana Mad Ants ), were purchased by the Indiana Pacers , making the 2015–16 season the first with all teams having single-affiliations. In some cases,

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2976-414: The one-and-done rule where players would play one season of college basketball and then leave for the NBA. The new select contract was an alternative for players who do not want to or cannot attend a college, with players earning up to $ 125,000 per season. The league launched its prospects team, the NBA G League Ignite , in 2020. The G-League Ignite team folded after the 2023–2024 season . Following

3069-474: The 2007–08 season and the New Orleans Hornets from 2007 to 2009. In late January 2007, during the 2006–07 season, the D-League announced an expansion to Hidalgo, Texas . Months later, the team was christened the "Rio Grande Valley Vipers", becoming the 14th team in league history, and they would play at Dodge Arena . The Vipers played their first game as a franchise on November 23, 2007, where they beat

3162-623: The 2009–10 season, as the Vipers enjoyed their most successful season. Led by league MVP Mike Harris , and coach of the year in Chris Finch, the Vipers went 34–16 to lead the Western Conference and earned the franchise's first playoff berth. In the playoffs, the Vipers beat both the Reno Bighorns and Austin Toros in three games each to reach the D League Finals. They then met the Tulsa 66ers in

3255-412: The 2016 expansion team, the Greensboro Swarm . After the 2006 to 2009 expansions, the league membership was fairly consistent with few relocations and suspensions. In 2009, the Houston Rockets entered into the first single-affiliation partnership, called the hybrid model, with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers . This began a trend of NBA and D-League teams entering into single-affiliation agreements of both

3348-405: The 2017–18 season, G League players who are not on two-way contracts earn either $ 19,500 or $ 26,000 during the league's season. By contrast, two-way players' salaries while in the G League, which are pro-rated according to the number of days the player is with his G League team, are based on an annual salary between $ 50,000 and $ 75,000, and while these players are with their NBA team, they will earn

3441-1075: The Cleveland Cavaliers purchased the New Mexico Thunderbirds to become the Canton Charge, and the Golden State Warriors purchased the Dakota Wizards , with the Warriors moving the Wizards a year later to become the Santa Cruz Warriors . In 2013, the Philadelphia 76ers purchased the inactive Utah Flash and moved them to Newark, Delaware as the Delaware 87ers ; the team is now the Delaware Blue Coats, and plays in Wilmington . In 2014,

3534-441: The D-League expanded to California with the addition of the Bakersfield Jam . Two months later, the league announced that four teams from the CBA were joining the league: the Dakota Wizards , Sioux Falls Skyforce , Idaho Stampede , and a team originally slated for CBA expansion , the Colorado 14ers . Shortly after, the league announced expansion teams in the Anaheim Arsenal and the Los Angeles D-Fenders . The D-Fenders were

3627-402: The Erie BayHawks to Lakeland, Florida , as the Lakeland Magic , a new Erie BayHawks franchise, and expansions in the Agua Caliente Clippers in Ontario, California (now known as the San Diego Clippers ), the Memphis Hustle in Southaven, Mississippi , and the Wisconsin Herd in Oshkosh, Wisconsin . The Los Angeles D-Fenders would also re-brand to the South Bay Lakers . In December 2017,

3720-431: The Finals. The division winners received a bye from the first round. The remaining teams faced each other in the first round. Notes Notes The three division winners, along with the next three teams with the best regular season records regardless of division, qualified for the playoffs. The playoffs consist of three rounds with single elimination format for the first two rounds and best-of-three format for

3813-441: The Finals. They won Game 1 on April 25 by a score of 124–107 in Tulsa before returning home for Game 2 on April 27, which had an attendance of 6,198 to see them at the Arena, the most to see a Vipers game in their history. Harris led all scorers with 26 points, but it came down to the buzzer that resulted in a three-point attempt by Craig Winder that went in to provide a 94–91 victory to win the first championship in team history, which

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3906-415: The NBA D-League's eighth season. Each team will play one preseason game between November 19 and 25. Notes The three division winners, along with the next five teams with the best regular season records regardless of division, qualified for the playoffs. The playoffs consist of three rounds with single elimination format for the first two rounds and best-of-three format for the finals. Teams with

3999-510: The NBA G League Finals for the sixth time, doing so with victories over the Texas Legends in the Conference Semifinal and the Agua Caliente Clippers in the Conference Final. On April 12, they won 145–128 in Game 1; the points scored by the Vipers was an NBA G League Finals record, and the 44 points scored by Trevelin Queen is second-most in finals history. Daishen Nix (31 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists) and Anthony Lamb (10 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists) each recorded triple-doubles, which

4092-415: The NBA G League. Bobby Simmons , Aaron Brooks , and Pascal Siakam are the only former D-League players to win an NBA end-of-season award; all won the Most Improved Player Award , with Simmons getting it with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2004–05 , Brooks earning it with the Houston Rockets in 2009–10 and Siakam receiving it with the Toronto Raptors in the 2018-19 NBA season. Khris Middleton became

4185-426: The NBA and the live-streaming website Twitch announced that they would broadcast G League games on Twitch. Games have also been aired on the ESPN+ subscription service. For the 2019–20 season , the G League began to offer select contracts to players who are not yet eligible to enter the NBA draft . Since 2006, players must be at least 19 years old by the end of the calendar year, creating what became known as

4278-557: The NBA team's regular roster limit, and can be assigned to a G League affiliate for development while also getting a larger salary whenever they are called up to the parent team. For teams that do not have a one-to-one affiliation with a G League team, a process similar to the "flexible assignment" rule is being used to determine the placement for their own two-way contracts in the G League until every team has their proper affiliation underway. In addition, salaries for two-way players are much higher than those for regular G League players. As of

4371-405: The NBA. In the same offseason, Southwest Basketball, LLC led by David Kahn received league permission to operate four new teams. Southwest Basketball purchased three existing franchises and one expansion team: the Albuquerque Thunderbirds , Austin Toros , Fort Worth Flyers , and Tulsa 66ers . The Arkansas RimRockers were also added from the ABA for the 2005–06 season . In February 2006,

4464-403: The Northern Arizona Suns beginning with the 2016–17 season . On October 20, 2016, the Sacramento Kings bought the majority ownership of their affiliate of the previous eight seasons, the Reno Bighorns, and would eventually move the team to Stockton, California , as the Stockton Kings after the 2017–18 season. On December 14, 2016, the Magic purchased their affiliate, the Erie BayHawks, with

4557-437: The Red team, 117–99, and Jeremy Richardson was named the MVP. In addition to the NBA D-League All-Star Game, the league debuted its first Dream Factory Friday Night events, which modeled after the NBA All-Star Saturday Night events. The events consists of Three-Point Shootout (won by Adam Harrington ), Slam Dunk Contest (won by Brent Petway ), and game of H-O-R-S-E (won by Lance Allred ). The 2009 D-League All-Star game

4650-454: The Tulsa 66ers in two-game sweeps to reach the finals for the third time in four seasons. The Vipers faced the Santa Cruz Warriors , doing so in a two-game sweep that had them win Game 1 112–102 on April 25 before winning at home 102–91 on April 27 to win their second league title while also becoming the second team (and first since the 2008-09 playoffs ) in the best-of-three era to go undefeated in D-League postseason play. Andrew Goudelock won

4743-469: The abbreviated bubble season beginning in February 2021. Ownership models vary across the NBA G League. Growing willingness among NBA organizations to invest in the G League has led to two main models: direct ownership of G League teams by parent NBA clubs and single-affiliate partnerships in which the G League team remains independently owned while the affiliate NBA team runs and finances basketball operations. Parent club direct ownership began in 2006 when

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4836-424: The award), NBA G League Most Valuable Player Award for Trevelin Queen (the third Viper to win the award), and the NBA G League Team Executive of the Year Award for general manager Travis Stockbridge (the second Vipers executive to win the award). They reached the postseason for the tenth time in their fifteen-season history, becoming the fourth team in league history to reach the postseason ten times; they reached

4929-445: The better regular season record holds home-court advantage in every rounds. The teams were seeded from 1 to 8 based on their regular season records. The top three seeds had to choose their opponents in the first round from among the four lowest seeded teams. The fourth seeded team would be paired with the remaining team that is not chosen as an opponent by the top three seeds. Notes Notes The three conference winners, along with

5022-418: The better regular season record holds home-court advantage in every rounds. The three division winners were seeded from 1 to 3 based on their regular season records, while the remaining teams were seeded from 4 to 8 based on their regular season records. The three division winners had to choose their opponents in the first round from among the four lowest seeded teams. The fourth seeded team would be paired with

5115-433: The clinching game to lead the Vipers to victory. The Vipers have seen two of their coaches become head coaches in the NBA, Nick Nurse and Chris Finch, with the former being the first coach to lead both an NBA and NBA G-League team to championships. On October 1, 2019, assistant coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah was promoted to head coach after Joseph Blair left for an assistant job with the Philadelphia 76ers ; Abdelfattah became

5208-418: The finals. Teams with the better regular season record holds home-court advantage in every rounds. The three division winners were seeded from 1 to 3 based on their regular season records, while the remaining teams were seeded from 4 to 6 based on their regular season records. The two division winners with the best regular season records received a bye from the first round. The remaining division winners faced

5301-419: The finals. They are also the earliest champion to still play in their original city along with one of only three teams (the others being the Iowa Wolves and the Indiana Mad Ants ) to have played in every league season since 2007. The Vipers entered a single-partnership affiliation agreement with the Houston Rockets during the 2009–10 season. Previously, they were affiliated with the Cleveland Cavaliers for

5394-404: The first D League team to ever lose back-to-back Finals (a feat not matched as of 2022). Notes Final standings. Finals standings. x – qualified for playoffs; y – Division champion; z – Conference champion Regular Season Final standings: x – qualified for playoffs; y – Division champion; z – Conference champion Final standings when

5487-417: The first D-League team to be directly owned by an NBA parent team, the Los Angeles Lakers . However, the westward expansion contributed to the contraction of the NBA-owned Roanoke Dazzle and Fayetteville Patriots for that season. The Florida Flame suspended operations due to arena scheduling difficulties. After the 2006–07 season , there would be no more teams in the southeastern United States until

5580-414: The first NBDL championship on April 8, 2002, after winning game 2 over the North Charleston Lowgators . The league saw an average attendance of 1,640 fans per game, lower than what the NBA expected. In 2005, the league's name was changed to NBA Development League (NBA D-League) as part of the new collective bargaining agreement with the NBA and a bid to appeal to more fans by showing the connection to

5673-421: The first Palestinian and Muslim head coach in NBA/NBA G League history. Travis Stockbridge was named general manager, becoming the youngest general manager in NBA G League history at the age of 25. In the 2021–22 season, the Vipers became the second team in league history to sweep the major three G League awards: the NBA G League Coach of the Year Award for Mahmoud Abdelfattah (just the second Vipers coach to win

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5766-412: The first former D-League player to be named an NBA All-Star when he was selected to participate in the 2019 All-Star Game . In the 2008 NBA draft , the Idaho Stampede 's Mike Taylor was drafted 55th by the Portland Trail Blazers . He became the first player from the NBA D-League to be drafted by an NBA team. He was subsequently traded and signed a rookie contract with the Los Angeles Clippers . In

5859-408: The forefront … of the Moneyball, analytics stuff", soon accepted the coaching position with RGV. In his two seasons as coach, the Vipers would lead the league in attempted three-point shots. In the 2012–13 season, the Vipers went 35–15 on the heels of a 10-game winning streak to close out the season, and it was second-best among all D-League teams. In the postseason, they beat the Maine Red Claws and

5952-422: The four lowest seeded teams. The fourth seeded team would be paired with the remaining team that is not chosen as an opponent by the top three seeds. Notes Notes The Eastern and Western Conference winners, along with the next six teams with the best regular season records regardless of conference, qualified for the playoffs. The playoffs consist of three rounds with best-of-three format . Teams with

6045-433: The four lowest seeded teams. The fourth seeded team would be paired with the remaining team that is not chosen as an opponent by the top three seeds. For the second time in league history, a team went undefeated in postseason play to win the championship, with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers going 6–0 becoming the second team in league history to win two titles. Notes Notes The three division winners, along with

6138-428: The franchise to College Park, Georgia , in 2019 as the College Park Skyhawks . In 2021, the Detroit Pistons relocated the Northern Arizona Suns to Detroit and renamed the team as the Motor City Cruise . In 2019, the New Orleans Pelicans launched their G League franchise as a third incarnation of the Erie BayHawks before relocating the team to Birmingham, Alabama , as the Birmingham Squadron in 2021. In April 2023,

6231-423: The hybrid affiliation led to the parent team buying their affiliate's franchise outright. On March 24, 2015, the Utah Jazz purchased their affiliate, the Idaho Stampede, and, after one more season in Boise , relocated the team to Salt Lake City . On April 11, 2016, the Phoenix Suns purchased their affiliate, the Bakersfield Jam , and announced the immediate relocation of the team to Prescott Valley, Arizona , as

6324-400: The hybrid and parent-team owned varieties. With more NBA involvement, the league once again began to expand and spread its footprint. By 2015, the last multiple-affiliate team, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants , was purchased by the Indiana Pacers , leading to the first season where all D-League teams were affiliated with only one NBA team. As there were no longer any unaffiliated D-League teams left,

6417-428: The independent Mexico City Capitanes . On June 13, 2000, NBA Commissioner David Stern and deputy commissioner Russ Granik announced the formation of the National Basketball Development League, to begin play in November 2001, with players required to be at least twenty years old. This was not the first time the league had their own minor league system, as they had used the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) as

6510-445: The individual teams, but with the league itself. G League team rosters consist of a total of 12 players, 10 (or fewer) being G League players and two (or more) NBA players. The rosters are made up in a number of ways: the previous year's players, players taken in the G 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

6603-401: The intention to relocate the team to Lakeland, Florida , in 2017. In 2017, the Miami Heat purchased the controlling interest in the Sioux Falls Skyforce after being its primary affiliate since 2013. In July 2019, the Boston Celtics acquired its affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, then became the Maine Celtics in 2021. Since 2020, the league added two teams without affiliation, with one of

6696-468: The league expanded after 2005 under a plan by NBA commissioner David Stern to develop it into a true minor-league farm system , with each NBA D-League team affiliated with one or more NBA teams. By mid-2014, one-third of NBA players had spent time in the NBA D-League, up from 23% in 2011. As of the 2024–25 season , the league consists of 31 teams. All are single-affiliated or owned by an NBA team except

6789-427: The league. The arena was half-funded by sales taxes to go with private funding that resulted in an initial estimated cost of $ 68 million. On August 18 of that year, the Vipers named Matt Brase their new head coach. After a few delays, the new arena was announced to have a grand opening in June 2018, with the Vipers beginning play in the arena for the 2018–19 season , with an end cost of $ 88 million. The 2017–18 season

6882-399: The lower half of the bracket which meant they would meet in the semifinals should they both advance. This would also result in the top two seeds meeting in the semifinals if they were from the same division and both advanced. For the third time, a team went 6–0 in postseason play, which saw the Fort Wayne Mad Ants become champions for the first time ever, while the Santa Cruz Warriors became

6975-472: The lowest seeded teams, while the two remaining teams faced each other. Notes Complete rosters for each of the 16 2008–09 NBA D-League teams will consist of the ten players drafted November 7 along with seven returning, allocation, and local tryout players. Rosters will be reduced to 12 players on November 20 and opening-day 10-man rosters must be set by November 26 in anticipation of the November 28 tip off of

7068-419: The next five teams with the best regular season records regardless of conference, qualified for the playoffs. The playoffs consist of three rounds with best-of-three format . Teams with the better regular season record holds home-court advantage in every rounds. The teams were seeded from 1 to 8 based on their regular season records. The top three seeds had to choose their opponents in the first round from among

7161-465: The next five teams with the best regular-season records regardless of division qualified for the playoffs. The playoffs consist of three rounds with a best-of-three format . Teams with the better regular-season record hold home-court advantage in each round but play Game 1 on the road and Games 2 and 3 (if necessary) at home. The teams were seeded from 1 to 8 based on their regular-season records. Division winners were not given any special consideration in

7254-418: The next six teams with the best regular season records regardless of conference, qualified for the playoffs. The playoffs consist of three rounds with best-of-three format . Teams with the better regular season record holds home-court advantage in every rounds. The teams were seeded from 1 to 8 based on their regular season records. The top three seeds had to choose their opponents in the first round from among

7347-557: The order alternates in each round; Team A who selected first in Round 1 will select last in Round 2, while Team B who selected last in Round 1 will get the first pick in Round 2. Round 3 was added in 2014. The league holds an annual Player Invitational, where prospects hope to earn eligibility for the upcoming draft. Since 2014–15, an NBA team that declines to sign an NBA draft pick can have them sign directly with their G League affiliate. Previously, an unsigned NBA pick could not be protected by

7440-608: The organization's G League affiliate, and the player might have ended up on the G League team of another organization. Players waived by an NBA team during training camp and up until the start of the regular season can be designated as "affiliate players" and allocated to the NBA team's G League affiliate. Each team is allowed four affiliate players. These are players that an NBA team is interested in developing in their own system. The affiliate players, however, still remain as free agents that any NBA team can sign. Each NBA team can assign two first-year or second-year players who are under

7533-525: The playoffs for the second year in a row. In 2009, the Vipers and the Houston Rockets entered into a single-affiliation partnership in which the Rockets controlled the team's basketball operations, while the business affairs would be handled by owner Alonzo Cantu . On August 18, 2009, the Rockets fired Clay Moser as coach, and named Chris Finch as coach on September 29. The result paid immediate dividends in

7626-420: The playoffs. The playoffs consist of three rounds with best-of-three format . Teams with the better regular season record holds home-court advantage in every rounds. The teams were seeded from 1 to 8 based on their regular season records. The top three seeds had to choose their opponents in the first round from among the four lowest seeded teams. The fourth seeded team would be paired with the remaining team that

7719-521: The remaining NBA teams began purchasing expansion franchises or hybrid partnership teams and placing them near the parent team. In 2015, the Toronto Raptors placed their own team, Raptors 905 , in the Greater Toronto Area in Mississauga, Ontario . In 2016, the D-League expanded by three more NBA parent club-owned teams for the largest D-League expansion since 2007. The Charlotte Hornets created

7812-415: The remaining team that is not chosen as an opponent by the three division winners. For the first time in the best-of-three era, a team completed a perfect postseason record, with the 14ers going a perfect 4–0 to win the championship. Notes Notes The Eastern and Western Conference winners, along with the next six teams with the best regular season records regardless of conference, qualified for

7905-408: The seeding and could be the #8 seed. The three division winners, which may or may not be the three top seeds, had to choose their opponents in the first round from among the four lowest seeded wild-card teams. The top-seeded wild-card team was paired with the remaining team that was not chosen as an opponent by the three division winners. The two division winners which are not the top seed were placed in

7998-580: The teams closing after several years. On December 12, 2019, the Mexico City Capitanes , which had been playing in the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional , was announced as joining the NBA G League as an independent team in the 2020–21 season on a five-year agreement. Due to the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic, a normal 2020–21 season did not occur and the Capitanes' debut was then delayed to

8091-433: The three-point line, continuing a trend set in 2009 (under previous coach Chris Finch) where the Vipers outpaced their NBA counterpart in the Houston Rockets each time, while shooting at a three-point rate higher than them all but once from 2009 to 2014); this reflected the vision of Rockets general manager Daryl Morey in seeing the Vipers as a laboratory for potential strategies to grow in the NBA. The 2013–14 team started on

8184-532: Was also the first championship for the region since the Edinburg Roadrunners in 2004. The Vipers made the 2011 D League Finals, losing to the Iowa Wolves . On July 14, 2011, Finch was hired as an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets . Rockets GM Daryl Morey approached Nick Nurse (coach of the Energy) about coaching the team, and Nurse, intrigued by the analytics that the Vipers and Rockets were "kind of at

8277-536: Was differentiated by team colors. Eight players were called up to the NBA during the season, which included Chris Andersen , the first player drafted by a NBDL team. The league made sponsorship deals with Reebok and television broadcasting deals with ESPN2 and Fox Sports South to broadcast select games during the first season (such as the NBDL Finals), which made them one of few minor league operations to have nationally televised games. The Greenville Groove won

8370-711: Was held on February 14, 2009, at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona . The Red Team defeated the Blue Team, 113–103, and Blake Ahearn and Courtney Sims were named co-MVPs. Along with the All-Star game, the NBA D-League ran their second annual Dream Factory Friday Night events. H-O-R-S-E was won by Will Conroy of the Albuquerque Thunderbirds . The Three-Point Shootout was won by Blake Ahearn of

8463-434: Was not held in 2016. 2008%E2%80%9309 NBA Development League season Finals Finals Notes Three teams with the best regular season records in each division qualified for playoffs. The playoffs consist of three rounds with single elimination format. Teams with the better regular season record holds home-court advantage in the first and second rounds, while teams with higher seed holds home-court advantage in

8556-431: Was the 11th and final season for the team at their original arena (originally known as Dodge Arena before rebranding to State Farm Arena), and they were the longest tenant to ever play in the venue. On April 12, 2019, the Vipers won their third championship in a 129–112 game three win against the Long Island Nets , having rallied from a loss in the first game to win two straight, with Isaiah Hartenstein scoring 30 points in

8649-520: Was won by a team of Pat Carroll , Trey Gilder and Carlos Powell . The Three-Point Shootout was won by Andre Ingram of the Utah Flash , and the Slam Dunk Contest was won by Dar Tucker of the Los Angeles D-Fenders . The game continued until 2017, with games continuing to be held during NBA All-Star Weekend at the same site. In 2018, it was replaced by a game between G League all-stars and

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