National Basketball Development League (2001–2005)
The league began its play as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) in the 2001–02 season; the original eight franchises[1][3] were all located in the southeastern United States (specifically in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, and Georgia).
A Brief History of the NBA D/G League Part 1:
The Era Of Change (2005-2012)
By Dakota Schmidt | @Dakota_Schmidt | Oct 9, 2020, 3:20pm EDT
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https://www.ridiculousupside.com/2020/10/9/21507972/a-brief-history-of-the-nba-d-g-league-part-1-the-era-of-change-snyder-nurse-green-stinson-harris
Way back in July 6, 2005, then-NBA commissioner David Stern announced that the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) would be changing to the NBA Development League (NBADL) in an attempt to make an appeal to make an appeal to fans regarding its status as the minor league system to the NBA. In the fifteen years since that announcement, the league has progressed at a rate that has really amassed yours truly, who started to write about the league in 2012.
As someone that’s been covering the league for almost a decade and has studied up on its history, it becomes clear that you can split the fifteen years of the D/G League since that announcement into three separate eras. Within this three-part series, you’ll get a chance to read about the its growth and evolution from being based solely in the south and southeast to the true international league that you see today.
Era Of Change- 2005- 2012
When David Stern made that announcement in the summer of 2005, the D-League was in the type of state that folks that have gotten into it over the last few years wouldn’t be able to recognize due to how the league was basically based in the south. With the exception of the Albuquerque Thunderbirds, who were based in New Mexico, cities like Roanoke, Virginia, Fort Worth, Texas, Fayetteville, Virginia, North Little Rock, Arkansas, and Fort Myers, Florida all hosted teams during that season. While it may seem strange to you, it was commonplace at that time due to the league largely starting with squads below the Mason Dixon Line.
Just a few months later, that trend would come to an end as all of those teams besides the Arkansas RimRockers and Fort Worth Flyers would fold before the beginning of the 2006-07 campaign. During that season, the league started to different regions. That expansion had a lot to do with the slow death of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) as established franchises in the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Dakota Wizards, and Idaho Stampede all made the leap to the D-League during that season.
Continue reading the article, for an in-depth history.
A Brief History of the D/G League:
The Era of Growth (2012-2017)
By Dakota Schmidt | @Dakota_Schmidt | Oct 18, 2020, 1:10am EDT
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https://www.ridiculousupside.com/2020/10/18/21520489/a-brief-history-of-the-d-g-league-the-era-of-growth-2012-2017-blue-howard-nurse-liggins-mad-ants
Where we left off at the end of part one, the NBA D-League was wrapping up its 2011-12 season. Thanks to the leadership of D-League MVP Justin Dentmon, the Austin Toros stood as the 2nd best team in the 16-team league before blowing through the playoffs to meet the Los Angeles D-Fenders in the Finals.
The MVP came up clutch for the team as he put up 30 points and 5 assists on 8-16 from the field, 4-9 from 3 and 10-11 from the free throw line in Game 3 of the series to push the Toros to their first title in franchise history. Little did folks know at the time but the end of the season would represent the start of an era of change for the D-League.
When it comes to expansion, the 2012 off-season was very quiet as the amount of teams in the league stayed stagnant at 16. The biggest move came when the Dakota Wizards moved to California to become the Santa Cruz Warriors, due to Golden State purchasing the team in the prior year. That singular zip code switch up led to a change in the way that the teams are aligned as it went from the two conference system from 2011-12 to an East, Central, and Western Conference in 2012-13.
Although that move was significant, it paled in comparison to two other changes that would come. For one, a spunky 18-year-old kid from Central Wisconsin made the decision in the public library to the D-League writing game before that 2012-13 season. On the other hand, the league itself made it more easy for that young man and other basketball fans to watch the league as they partnered with YouTube to stream live games on their platform.
Continue reading the article, for an in-depth history.
A Brief History of the NBA D/G League:
The Era of the G (2017-Present)
By Dakota Schmidt | @Dakota_Schmidt | Oct 23, 2020, 12:40am EDT
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https://www.ridiculousupside.com/2020/10/23/21529289/a-brief-history-of-the-nba-d-g-league-the-era-of-the-g-2017-present-abdur-rahim-ingram-robinson-cook
On April 27th, 2017, the Jerry Stackhouse-coached Raptors 905 celebrated the franchise’s first D-League title as they defeated the RGV Vipers 122-96 in Game 3 of the Finals. Although current Torono standouts Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam pushed them through the playoffs, a man that was once hailed as two-years-away-from-being-two-years-away was the one that defanged the Viper. In 32 minutes, Bruno Caboclo put up 31 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocks on 13-19 from the field and 5-7 from beyond the arc. As the Mississaugua men were celebrating their title, that moment truly represented an end of an era.
More than two months before that celebration, it was announced that the NBA Development League, would be rebranded as the NBA G League, as part of a multi-year partnership between the NBA and Gatorade. That deal represented the first deal between a U.S. professional team sports league an entitlement partner. I put emphasis on team sports as NASCAR has had corporate companies sponsor their various series for decades. Along with having Gatorade branding on game balls, on-court signage a, and team jerseys, the partnership also brought an opportunity for teams to utilize the Gatorade Sports Science Institute for programs to enhance the player’s performance and recovery.
Along with the name change, the build-up to the 2017-18 season saw a few other changes take place. One of the most significant of those was seen in the new NBA/NBPA Collective Bargaining Agreement, which was ratified on July 1st .One of the biggest features of the new CBA happened to be the introduction of Exhibit 10 and two-way contracts.
Exhibit 10’s are actually attachments that can be placed onto a player’s contract when they’re in training camp. For a player with an Exhibit 10 deal, their contracts can be transferred into a two-way before the start of the year. Even if that doesn’t happen and they end up getting released, the players are still in luck as they’ll be able to receive a bonus from $5,000 through $50,000 after spending 60 days with the G League affiliate that they’re assigned with.
Continue reading the article, for an in-depth history.