Thunderbirds Announce Native American All Star Game

Published on April 10, 2008 under NBA G League (G League)
New Mexico Thunderbirds News Release


Albuquerque, N.M. - The Albuquerque Thunderbirds have partnered up with Acoma Business Enterprise to present the First Annual Acoma Sky City Native American All-Star Game on Saturday, April 12 at Tingley Coliseum. The games will take place before the final Thunderbirds home game and will showcase some of the best Native American high school basketball players from the state of New Mexico for both boys and girls.

"The Thunderbirds organization is truly honored to host the Acoma Sky City Native American All-Star Game," said Chris Holland, Chief Operating Officer for the Thunderbirds. "This event has afforded us the opportunity to touch so many of our surrounding communities across the state."

All players participating are underclassmen nominated by their respective athletic directors and head coaches for being outstanding competitors and meeting specific requirements in the classroom. Coaches were chosen on a voluntary basis.

Rosters were separated with height of athlete and classification of school in mind. Thirteen different schools will be represented by 36 athletes; some schools will feature more than one participant. Players will keep their Nike uniforms and the Most Valuable Player from each game will receive a brand new pair of Nike shoes.

The focus of the day will be celebrating the Native American heritage with pre-game, halftime, and post-game events planned such as color guard, dancers, and a dinner party for the players and coaches.

"The boy's and girl's who are participating have excelled not only on the court, but in the classroom and we look forward to showcasing their talent," said Holland. "Acoma Business Enterprises shared our enthusiasm for this game and has been a tremendous partner."

The girl's game will begin at 1:00 pm followed by the boy's game at 3:30 pm. The Tingley box office opens at 12:30 pm; tickets are $5 for general admission and will be good for all three games.

Albuquerque plays its last regular season home game, April 12th against the Colorado 14ers. Game time is set for 7:00 pm, from Tingley Coliseum. Saturday's game will be "Fan Appreciation Night", in which the first 1,000 fans will receive a giveaway item. Also, Baillio's Appliance and Electronics will have a register to win 37" Flat Screen TV.

Thunderbirds 2008-09 season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at Thunderbirds front office at 111 Lomas Blvd. NE, Suite 240, Albuquerque, NM 87102. For single game tickets and premium or group seating call the Thunderbirds office at (505) 265-DUNK.

The Thunderbirds stay focused on the community by participating in community events such as the Read to Achieve Program as well as D-League Cares. In the past two seasons the Thunderbirds have worked over 3,000 hours in the community, staying dedicated to Albuquerque and New Mexico.

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 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 D-League players represented 10 percent of NBA players on 2007-08 opening day rosters, numbering 44 in total. In addition, the 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 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.

Individually, the Thunderbirds have had two player call-ups, two front office call-ups, two training staff call-ups and three call-ups from the Storm Chasers Dance and Cheer squad.

Designed to help grow the sport of basketball both domestically and internationally, the D-League offers NBA-quality basketball and fun, family entertainment at affordable prices. For additional information on the NBA Development League, visit NBADLEAGUE.com.

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