NEW YORK – Raptors 905, the NBA Development League affiliate of the Toronto Raptors, will host the 2017 NBA D-League Showcase in Mississauga, Ontario, it was announced today.  The 22-game, five-day event will run Jan. 18-22, 2017, and feature the league’s 22 teams playing two regular-season games each at Hershey Centre.

“We’re thrilled to bring the NBA D-League’s tentpole event to Mississauga and the Hershey Centre,” said NBA D-League President Malcolm Turner.  “It’s always inspiring to watch our players put their skills on display in front of scouts from all 30 NBA teams and I’m looking forward to being part of the action as the basketball community’s focus shifts to Canada in January.”

“We are honored and excited to be the host team for the 2017 D-League Showcase,” said Raptors President Masai Ujiri. “Following last year’s successful NBA All-Star Weekend in Toronto, we are eager to assist the League with the premier event for the D-League, its teams and players.”

A record 14 games from the 2017 NBA D-League Showcase will be nationally televised live on ESPNU and NBA TV.  For the first time, every NBA D-League team will play at least one live nationally televised game at the Showcase, a platform for players and coaches to be scouted by representatives from all 30 NBA teams.

The 2017 NBA D-League Showcase tips off at 10 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Jan. 18 when the Windy City Bulls play their first-ever Showcase game, taking on the Delaware 87ers.  Action continues at 12:30 p.m. ET when the Grand Rapids Drive faces the 905 on NBA TV.  The Greensboro Swarm makes its Showcase debut against the Erie BayHawks at 3 p.m. ET on NBA TV, while the Northern Arizona Suns take to the Showcase court for the first time against the Oklahoma City Blue at 6 p.m. ET.  The first day of action concludes with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers meeting the Austin Spurs at 8:30 p.m. ET.

ESPNU begins its Showcase coverage on Thursday, Jan. 19 with Windy City facing the Fort Wayne Mad Ants at 12:30 p.m. ET and the reigning NBA D-League Champion Sioux Falls Skyforce playing the Reno Bighorns at 3 p.m. ET.  The Long Island Nets and Salt Lake City Stars play their first-ever Showcase games on Friday, Jan. 20 against the Austin Spurs and Raptors 905, respectively.  Both games will be broadcast on ESPNU.

The league’s premier in-season scouting event, the Showcase has seen more than 50 NBA D-Leaguers earn GATORADE Call-Ups to the NBA during or in the days immediately following the last 12 events.

As part of this year’s Showcase, a series of youth-focused programming will be planned throughout the week.  The afternoon games will feature youth from local schools as part of the NBA D-League’s School Day initiative. In addition, two Jr. NBA Clinics presented by Shock Doctor, the Official Mouthguard of the NBA D-League, will take place on Thursday and Saturday.  More than 100 children from the Ontario community will be taught the fundamentals of the game by current NBA D-League players and provided tickets to that evening’s game.

Tickets to the 2017 NBA D-League Showcase will be sold individually, for groups and in packages for fans to take in all of the action.  Information on Showcase tickets is available by e-mail at tickets@raptors905.com.  Log on to www.raptors905.com/showcase for seating maps and a breakdown of ticket tiers and packages.

The full game and broadcast schedule is below (all times ET):

Wednesday, Jan. 18
10:00 a.m.  Windy City Bulls at Delaware 87ers
12:30 p.m.  Grand Rapids Drive at Raptors 905 (NBA TV)
3:00 p.m.    Greensboro Swarm at Erie BayHawks (NBA TV)
6:00 p.m.    Northern Arizona Suns at Oklahoma City Blue
8:30 p.m.    Rio Grande Valley Vipers at Austin Spurs

Thursday, Jan. 19
12:30 p.m.  Fort Wayne Mad Ants at Windy City Bulls (ESPNU)
3:00 p.m.    Sioux Falls Skyforce at Reno Bighorns (ESPNU)
6:00 p.m.    Canton Charge at Maine Red Claws
8:30 p.m.    Oklahoma City Blue at Santa Cruz Warriors (NBA TV)

Friday, Jan. 20
10:00 a.m.  Erie BayHawks at Westchester Knicks
12:30 p.m.  Salt Lake City Stars at Iowa Energy (ESPNU)
3:00 p.m.    Delaware 87ers at Greensboro Swarm (ESPNU)
6:00 p.m.    Austin Spurs at Northern Arizona Suns (ESPNU)
8:30 p.m.    Raptors 905 at Long Island Nets (ESPNU)

Saturday, Jan. 21
10:00 a.m.  Santa Cruz Warriors at Texas Legends
12:30 p.m.  Maine Red Claws at Fort Wayne Mad Ants (NBA TV)
3:00 p.m.    Iowa Energy at Rio Grande Valley Vipers (NBA TV)
6:00 p.m.    Los Angeles D-Fenders at Sioux Falls Skyforce
8:30 p.m.    Long Island Nets at Grand Rapids Drive

Sunday, Jan. 22
10:00 a.m.  Westchester Knicks at Canton Charge (NBA TV)
12:30 p.m.  Reno Bighorns at Salt Lake City Stars (NBA TV)
3:00 p.m.    Texas Legends at Los Angeles D-Fenders (NBA TV)

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 22 teams with direct affiliations with NBA franchises for the 2016-17 season, the league offers elite professional basketball at an affordable price in a fun, family-friendly atmosphere. An all-time high 38 percent of all NBA players at the end of the 2015-16 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.