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NBA D-League Enters Finals Following Record-Breaking 2007-08 Season

Published on April 21, 2008 under NBA G League (G League) News Release


NEW YORK - The Idaho Stampede and the Austin Toros begin the best-of-three NBA Development League Finals presented by Delta tonight at the Austin Convention Center at 8 p.m. ET. Game 2 and, if necessary, Game 3 will be held at Qwest Arena in Boise, Idaho on Thursday and Friday.

The NBA D-League enters the Finals after recording the most successful season in the seven-year history of the NBA's official minor league. Thirty percent of the 2007 NBA Draft class played in the NBA D-League this season as the league enjoyed rises in Gatorade Call-ups to the NBA and assignments by NBA teams to D-League affiliates. By the close of the regular season, over 15 percent of NBA players came from the NBA D-League and 29 of 30 NBA teams had a former D-Leaguer on their roster.

"The continued strong performance of our alumni in the NBA, along with this season's record-breaking number of call-ups and assignments, shows that NBA teams have fully embraced the D-League as their preferred feeder system for NBA-caliber basketball talent," said NBA D-League President Dan Reed.

On the business side, the NBA D-League closed its regular season with substantial increases in overall attendance and web traffic, spurred in large part by the debut of NBA Futurecast - the free live web-streaming of NBA D-League games. The league also announced during the winter that two additional franchises (Erie and Reno) will join the NBA D-League for the 2008-09 season, signifying the league has doubled in size over the last three years.

"We've really enjoyed a virtuous cycle in the past three years. Formal NBA affiliations led to a higher caliber of basketball in the NBA D-League, which led to increased fan interest, which has attracted great local ownership and operators to our teams," said Reed. "This virtuous cycle is the major reason why we've seen the league double in size, why team franchise values have quadrupled and why our attendance is up over 20 percent from last season."

Gatorade Call-ups

- This season saw 29 Gatorade Call-ups (18 players) from D-League affiliates to the NBA, compared to 22 call-ups (16 players) to the NBA last season and 18 call-ups (13 players) in 2005-06. There are 75 players on NBA rosters with D-League experience.

- On Jan. 8, the NBA D-League enjoyed the 100th Gatorade Call-up in league history when Rio Grande Valley's C.J. Watson was signed by the Golden State Warriors.

Assignments

- A total of 31 players were assigned by NBA teams to a D-League affiliate this season. Last season, 24 players were assigned to the NBA D-League and a total of 29 players were assigned to the NBA D-League during the 2005-06 season.

D-League Alumni

- Sam Vincent became the first former NBA D-League coach to become an NBA head coach (Charlotte Bobcats).

- During the 2007-08 NBA season, 76 D-League alumni played for an NBA team, including Rafer Alston, Brandon Bass, Andray Blatche, Devin Brown, Jordan Farmar, Chuck Hayes, Jamario Moon, Ime Udoka and Louis Williams - all players who have played key roles on NBA playoff teams.

- Ramon Sessions became the first NBA D-League alum to win an NBA Monthly Award (T-Mobile Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for April with the Milwaukee Bucks)

Attendance

- NBA D-League attendance increased by 21.6 percent compared to the 2006-07 season.

NBA.COM/dleague

- Traffic on nba.com/dleague has increased by 12 percent in comparison to last season.

- Debut of NBA Futurecast, a free web streaming of all NBA D-League games throughout the regular season and the playoffs.

The Competition

- NBA D-League teams averaged 104.19 points in 2007-08. That number increased nearly one point per game compared to last season when teams averaged 103.21 points.

- Along with the league's second annual All Star Game, the NBA D-League introduced the first Dream Factory Friday Night which featured D-Leaguers competing in a dunk contest, a 3-point shootout, H-O-R-S-E and Hotshot.

Player Development and Community Service

- The NBA D-League entered a partnership with the University of Phoenix in which three players - Idaho's Randy Livingston is the first - will receive full scholarships to complete their college degrees online. In addition, the D-League and the University will present three scholarships to three deserving members from the hometown communities of the three participating players.

The NBA Development League is the NBA's official minor league, and the first-ever basketball league with direct affiliations to NBA teams. Now in its seventh season the NBA D-League's goals are to provide affordable, NBA-caliber entertainment to fans of its 16 teams, as well as continue to develop players, coaches, referees and front-office personnel for the NBA. As the single source for in-season player "call-ups" to the NBA, fans of the D-League enjoy the highest caliber of basketball played outside the NBA. In fact, former NBA D-League players represented 10 percent of NBA players on 2007-08 opening day rosters, numbering 44 in total. In addition, the NBA D-League has produced 25 percent of current NBA referees and 17 current NBA coaches, including head coach Sam Vincent with the Charlotte Bobcats. The NBA D-League is an innovative and rapidly growing sports property that also serves as an experimental testing ground for new initiatives like NBA Futurecast, which is the live web-streaming of all games available free to fans at d-league.com. The League also provides continuing education and professional development resources for its players, and is committed to serving its local communities through D-LEAGUE CARES and grassroots efforts.

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