Los Angeles D-Fenders
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| Los Angeles D-Fenders | |
| Founded | 2006 |
| History | Los Angeles D-Fenders NBA D-League:2006-Present |
| Arena | Staples Center |
| City | Los Angeles, California |
| Team Colors | Purple, Gold |
| Head Coach | Dan Panaggio |
| Owner | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Championships | 0 |
| Division Titles | None |
| Affiliations | Los Angeles Lakers |
The Los Angeles D-Fenders are a team in the NBA Development League. The team is owned by the Los Angeles Lakers, making them the first NBA team to own a D-League team. Like the parent club, they will play their home games at the Staples Center until the Citizens Business Bank Arena in nearby Ontario, California is completed in 2008. The arena will be operated by AEG Worldwide, which also operates the Staples Center.
The Lakers held 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 the D-Fenders and Breakers remained as finalists.
On June 5, balloting closed. Three days later, the team was supposed to announce its new name, but did not do so. 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.
D-Fenders home games typically start at 3:30 p.m. on weekdays, leading up to the 7:30 p.m. tipoff of the Lakers game. Tickets to Lakers' games include admissions to 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).
Jordan Farmar, a rookie point guard of the Lakers, has twice played for both the D-Fenders and the Lakers on the same day.[1]
[edit] Year-by-year record
NBA D-League
| Year | GP | W | L | Pct. | Finish | Playoffs |
| 2006-07 | 50 | 23 | 27 | .460 | t-4th, Western | Out of Playoffs |
[edit] Current Roster
| Los Angeles D-Fenders Current Roster | ||||
| Head Coach: Dan Panaggio | ||||
| F | 15 | Image:Flag of the United States.svg Sean Banks | (Memphis) | |
| G | 4 | Image:Flag of the United States.svg Brian Chase | (Virginia Tech) | |
| G | 30 | Image:Flag of the United States.svg Andre Emmett | (Texas Tech) | |
| G | 11 | Image:Flag of the United States.svg Jordan Farmar | (UCLA) | |
| F | 20 | Image:Flag of the United States.svg Daniel Horton | (Michigan) | |
| F/C | 25 | Nick Lewis | (San Diego) | |
| G | 6 | Image:Flag of the United States.svg Jackie Manuel | (North Carolina) | |
| G | 23 | Chet Mason | (Miami (Ohio)) | |
| F | 36 | Andre Patterson | (Tennessee) | |
| C | 21 | Nick VanderLaan | (Virginia) | |
| C | 28 | Wesley Wilson | (Georgetown) | |
| (FA) - Free Agent | Los Angeles D-Fenders | |||
[edit] External links
| NBA Development League | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Division | Southwest Division | West Division | |
| Dakota Wizards | Albuquerque Thunderbirds | Anaheim Arsenal | |
| Fort Wayne Mad Ants | Austin Toros | Bakersfield Jam | |
| Iowa Energy | Colorado 14ers | Idaho Stampede | |
| Sioux Falls Skyforce | Rio Grande Valley Vipers | Los Angeles D-Fenders | |
| Tulsa 66ers | Utah Flash | ||
fr:Los Angeles D-Fenders it:Los Angeles D-Fenders ja:ロサンゼルス・ディーフェンダーズ pl:Los Angeles D-Fenders zh:洛杉矶防御者队
