NEW YORK – The National Basketball Association and the NBA Development League, the official minor league of the NBA, today announced the affiliation system for the 2013-14 season. An all-time high fourteen NBA teams will have single NBA D-League affiliates including first-year partnerships between the Miami Heat and Sioux Falls Skyforce, Philadelphia 76ers and Delaware 87ers, and Sacramento Kings and Reno Bighorns.

For the ninth consecutive year, each NBA team has one NBA D-League team to which it may assign players. During the 2012-13 season, the NBA D-League saw all-time highs in NBA player assignments (184) and individual players assigned (58) from their NBA parent clubs.  Twenty six players drafted in 2012 spent time on assignment in the NBA D-League, including 11 first round selections.  Jeremy Lamb, selected 12^th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder and Kendall Marshall, the 13^th overall selection by the Phoenix suns, headlined the group of 2012 NBA Draft picks to play in the NBA D-League last season.

In all, the Houston Rockets assigned seven players to their affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the highest number of individual players to play on assignment from one team last season.  The Thunder assigned Lamb and four other players to the Tulsa 66ers, while the Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs each assigned four players to develop with their minor league affiliates, the Idaho Stampede and Austin Toros, respectively.

For the second season, NBA players in the first three years of their NBA careers may be assigned to their NBA D-League affiliate an unlimited number of times, according to the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement, while for the third consecutive year, players beyond the first three years of their NBA careers may be assigned to their NBA D-League affiliate with their consent and the consent of the NBA Players Association.  Last season, the NBA D-League saw veterans Amar’e Stoudemire (New York Knicks, Erie BayHawks) and Keyon Dooling (Memphis Grizzlies, Bighorns) take advantage of NBA D-League assignments to rehabilitate injuries or further develop their games.

“We’re excited that nearly half of the NBA has now acquired an exclusive NBA D-League affiliation, which demonstrates how important the NBA D-League has become for player, coach, and staff development,” said Dan Reed, NBA D-League President. “Once again we look forward to providing an effective ‘farm system’ benefiting all 30 NBA teams, current NBA players at all stages of their careers, and top NBA prospects aspiring to achieve their NBA dreams.”

Of the 17 NBA D-League teams playing during the 2013-14 season, six are fully owned and operated by their NBA affiliates: the Austin Toros (San Antonio Spurs), Canton Charge (Cleveland Cavaliers), Delaware 87ers (Philadelphia 76ers), Los Angeles D-Fenders (Los Angeles Lakers), Santa Cruz Warriors (Golden State Warriors), and Tulsa 66ers (Oklahoma City Thunder).  The Erie BayHawks (New York Knicks), Idaho Stampede (Portland Trail Blazers), Maine Red Claws (Boston Celtics), Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Houston Rockets), Reno Bighorns (Sacramento Kings), Sioux Falls Skyforce (Miami Heat) and Springfield Armor (Brooklyn Nets) are the seven NBA D-League teams with ‘hybrid’ single-affiliation partnerships, where NBA teams control the NBA D-League affiliates’ basketball operations.  The Dallas Mavericks remain solely affiliated with the Texas Legends.

The remaining three NBA D-League teams will have five or six NBA parent teams: Bakersfield Jam (Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz), Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Charlotte Bobcats, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Memphis Grizzlies, Milwaukee Bucks, Orlando Magic), Iowa Energy (Chicago Bulls, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans, Washington Wizards).

The NBA D-League continues to be a springboard for NBA talent  with 30 percent of all NBA players on 2012-13 end-of-season rosters having played in the NBA D-League during their careers.

The complete affiliation system for 2013-14 is listed below:

2013-14 NBA DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE TEAM AFFILIATIONS

AUSTIN TOROS (TX)

San Antonio Spurs

 BAKERSFIELD JAM (CA)

Atlanta Hawks

Los Angeles Clippers

Phoenix Suns

Toronto Raptors

Utah Jazz

CANTON (OH)

Cleveland Cavaliers

DELAWARE 87ERS (Newark, DE)

Philadelphia 76ers

ERIE BAYHAWKS (PA)

New York Knicks

FORT WAYNE MAD ANTS (IN)

Charlotte Bobcats

Detroit Pistons

Indiana Pacers

Memphis Grizzlies

Milwaukee Bucks

Orlando Magic

IDAHO STAMPEDE (Boise, ID)

Portland Trail Blazers

IOWA ENERGY (Des Moines, IA)

Chicago Bulls

Denver Nuggets

Minnesota Timberwolves

New Orleans Pelicans

Washington Wizards

 LOS ANGELES D-FENDERS (CA)

Los Angeles Lakers

MAINE RED CLAWS (Portland, ME)

Boston Celtics

RENO BIGHORNS (NV)

Sacramento Kings

 RIO GRANDE VALLEY VIPERS (TX)

Houston Rockets

 SANTA CRUZ WARRIORS (CA)

Golden State Warriors

 SIOUX FALLS SKYFORCE (SD)

Miami Heat

SPRINGFIELD ARMOR (MA)

Brooklyn Nets

 TEXAS LEGENDS (Frisco, TX)

Dallas Mavericks

 TULSA 66ERS (OK)

Oklahoma City Thunder

About the NBA Development League
The NBA Development League is the NBA’s official minor league, preparing players, coaches, officials, trainers, and front-office staff for the NBA while acting as the league’s research and development laboratory. Featuring 14 teams with direct affiliations to NBA franchises, the league offers professional basketball at an affordable price in a fun, family-friendly atmosphere. Thirty percent of players in the NBA at the end of the 2012-13 season boasted NBA D-League experience. In fostering the league’s connection to the community, its teams, players and staff promote health and wellness, support local needs and interests, and assist in educational development through NBA D-League Cares programs. Fans can watch all NBA D-League games on nbadleague.com