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NBA D-League expands to Bakersfield

February 14, 2006 - NBA G League (G League) News Release


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 Yamashita 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 Yamashita 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 (6 th overall) of Portland , Gerald Green of Boston (18 th overall) and Julius Hodge of Denver (20 th overall).

The NBA D-League began operation in November 2001 and has continually offered players the opportunity to develop their talent in a highly competitive 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.

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