Los Angeles D-Fenders

The Los Angeles D-Fenders are an NBA Development League (D-League) team based in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 2006, the team is owned by the Los Angeles Lakers, which became the first National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise to own a D-League team. Like the parent club, they play most of their home games at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles,^[1] but they also play select games at the Toyota Sports Center.

In 2008, the team was scheduled to move to the Citizens Business Bank Arena in nearby Ontario, California which was completed that year and is also operated by AEG Worldwide. However, the D-Fenders changed their minds and signed with Staples Center for a third season.^[2]

The team's home games are played in doubleheaders with the Lakers. Normal game times are 3:30 p.m. on weekdays and 2:30 p.m. on weekends. Admission tickets to Lakers game also are good for D-Fenders games. Lakers management has admitted that the D-Fenders will likely lose several million dollars per year, but claims the potential to develop future NBA talent is worth the investment.

All games are broadcast in streaming audio from the team's official website (see below).

History

The name was chosen in a "name the team" contest with an unusual format. As with the NCAA tournament bracket, the site featured 64 possible team names. By the first week of June 2006, only D-Fenders and Breakers remained as finalists. On June 5, 2006, balloting was closed. Three days later, the team was supposed to announce its new name, but did not. The name "Breakers" had won the poll, but the Lakers learned that a local dwarf basketball team has the same name and therefore they fell back on the "losing" nickname in the contest. The official announcement, and logo unveiling, came on July 26, 2006.

In their debut in the 2006-07 season, they finished with a 23-27 record, almost qualifying for the playoffs. In the 2008 season, they posted a 32-18 record, good enough to head for the playoffs. In the first round, Los Angeles earned their first playoff victory after defeating the Western Conference's champion Colorado 14ers. Later, they lost to the Idaho Stampede, who went on to win their first championship in the D-League. It was announced by the NBA D-LEAGUE that in their 2010-2011 season affiliation line up the Lakers will no longer run the D-fenders because of huge financial losses instead they will be affiliated with the Bakersfield Jam , the Jam will also be the Los Angeles Clippers affiliate.

Personalities

• Both Jordan Farmar and Coby Karl have played on two different occasions for both the D-Fenders and the Lakers on the same day.^[3][4]

• Actress, model, and former cheerleader Bonnie-Jill Laflin is currently the D-Fenders' assistant general manager and a scout for the Lakers.

Year-by-year record

Current roster

Notes

1. ^ Los Angeles D-Fenders
2. ^ unknown (unknown). "D-Fenders Tipoff D-League Season on Friday, November 28th". NBA.com. http://www.nba.com/dleague/losangeles/DFenders_Tipoff_NBA_DLEague_-280128-1466.html. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
3. ^ NBA Development League: Lakers Reassign Jordan Farmar To D-Fenders
4. ^ Lakers assign Coby Karl to D-Fenders for final time this season

External links

• Official Website

Categories: NBA Development League teams | Basketball teams in Los Angeles, California | Los Angeles Lakers | Sports clubs established in 2006