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The D-Fenders will be coming back in the 2011-12 season. For the 2010-11 season, the Lakers will be affiliated with the Bakersfield Jam.
Learn more about the Los Angeles D-Fenders at their Website
In July 2006, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Buss family became the first NBA franchise to own an NBA Development League team, the Los Angeles D-Fenders. The D-Fenders are the sole affiliate of the Lakers and are committed to providing the highest quality of emerging talent.
The NBA D-League, founded in 2001, is the NBA’s official minor league which features 16 teams with direct affiliations to NBA teams and is designed to help grow the sport of basketball both domestically and internationally by offering NBA caliber basketball. In fostering the league’s connection to the community, its D-League teams, players and staff promote youth basketball, support local needs and interests, and assist in educational development through NBA D-League Cares program. The NBA D-League also advances the game of basketball as the research and development arm of the NBA.
On November 29, 2007, D-Fenders first round draft choice (8th overall) Jelani McCoy became the first player in Los Angeles franchise history to earn an NBA Gatorade Call-Up when he was signed by the Denver Nuggets. Later in the 2007-08 season, D-Fenders teammate and Co-NBA D-League Defensive Player of the Year, Stephane Lasme earned his NBA Gatorade Call-Up to the Miami Heat. The following season, on March 27, 2009, the New York Knicks signed D-Fenders guard Joe Crawford, making him the 18th GATORADE Call-Up of the 2008-09 NBA Development League season.
The Lakers have utilized their minor league affiliate in every season, thus far. First, the Lakers assigned rookie guards Jordan Farmar (2006-07) and Coby Karl (2007-08) to the D-Fenders. The Lakers also used Sun Yue off and on throughout the course of the 2008-09 season. The Lakers and D-Fenders made history on April 1, 2007 when Farmar became the first player in league history to play in an NBA and NBA D-League game in the same day. Karl joined Farmar in the record books on February 19, 2008, becoming the second player in league history to pull double duty.
Upon entering their fourth season, the Los Angeles D-Fenders are making some change. On September 21st, the D-Fenders announced the hiring of their new Head Coach and former Lakers player, Chucky Brown. Previously, Chucky Brown served three years as the D-Fenders assistant coach under Dan Panaggio. Rasheed Hazzard will fill the assistant coaching role once served by Brown.
In addition to a new coach, the D-Fenders will also play a portion of their home games in a new location. While the majority of their home games will continue to be played at the STAPLES Center, seven of the home games in the 2009-10 season will be played at the Toyota Sports Center, the official training facility for both the Lakers and the D-Fenders. By hosting games at the Toyota Sports Center, as opposed to the STAPLES Center, the D-Fenders will be able to sell their own tickets for the first time ever.
The D-Fenders tip of their fourth season on November 28th as they take on the Albuquerque Thunderbirds at 6pm at the Tingley Coliseum. The D-Fenders will host their first home game on December 1st versus the Utah Flash at 3:30pm at the STAPLES Center.
