South Bay Lakers
South Bay Lakers | |
---|---|
Conference | Western |
League | NBA G League |
Founded | 2006 |
History | Los Angeles D-Fenders 2006–2017 South Bay Lakers 2017–present |
Arena | UCLA Health Training Center |
Location | El Segundo, California |
Team colors | Purple, gold, South Bay blue[1][2][3] |
Team manager | Nick Mazzella |
Head coach | Dane Johnson |
Ownership | Los Angeles Lakers |
Affiliation(s) | Los Angeles Lakers |
Championships | 0 |
Conference titles | 2 (2012, 2016) |
Division titles | 2 (2012, 2014) |
Website | southbay |
The South Bay Lakers are an American professional basketball team in the
All games are broadcast in
History
The Dan Panaggio era (2006–2009)
The team name was chosen in a "name the team" contest with a format similar to a March Madness NCAA tournament bracket, with 64 possible team names. From April 2006 to the first week of June 2006, the choices were whittled down to two: "D-Fenders" and "Breakers" remained. On June 5, 2006, balloting was closed with the "Breakers" as the winner. Three days later the team was expected to announce its name, but the Lakers organization had learned that a local coed dwarf basketball team already had the name.[6] The Lakers then fell back to the "losing" name: the Los Angeles D-Fenders. The official announcement and logo unveiling came on July 26, 2006.[7]
In their debut season (2006–07) the D-Fenders competed in the Western Division and finished with a 23–27 record. Despite a sub-500 record the D-Fenders almost qualified for the playoffs. Dan Panaggio, formerly the assistant head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, served as head coach.[8] Brian Chase received an All D-League Honorable Mention and was selected for the D-League All-Star Game. Stephane Lasme received the D-Fenders first ever "call up" to the NBA's Miami Heat.
D-Fender games were played as "doubleheaders" with their parent club, the Los Angeles Lakers (either prior to or following Laker games). Admission tickets to Lakers games also admitted one to the D-Fender game. On April 1, 2007, Jordan Farmar became the first player in history to play in an NBA game and a D-League game in the same day.
In the 2007–08 season, Panaggio returned as head coach, and the D-Fenders improved to 32–18, strong enough to qualify for the playoffs. In the first round, the D-Fenders earned their first playoff victory after defeating the Western Conference Champion
In 2008–09, Panaggio returned for his third and final year as head coach. The D-Fenders posted a disappointing 19–31 record. One highlight showcased
For the first time the D-Fenders played several of their home games at the
Post-Panaggio era (2009–2011)
For the 2009–10 season, the D-Fenders brought in a "new" coach, Chucky Brown[10] For Brown, this served a bit as a homecoming as Brown previously served as the Assistant Head Coach in the D-Fenders' inaugural season. Unfortunately, the experiment did not work out as the D-Fenders posted a record of 16–34. This season marked the first time the D-Fenders had no assignments or call-ups from the NBA. Joe Crawford and Diamon Simpson were selected for the All-Star Game. Crawford was also a participant in the All-Star Weekend H-O-R-S-E Contest. Dar Tucker was named All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk Champion.
In May 2010, the D-Fenders announced that they would not field a team for the 2010–11 season. While the Lakers retained team ownership
On June 9, 2011, the D-Fenders announced they would return for the 2011–2012 campaign and would play home games at a new location: the
Breakout season (2011–2012)
Glenn Carraro, the remaining D-Fender assistant general manager, was promoted to general manager.[15] Thereafter, on August 18, 2011, the D-Fenders announced Eric Musselman as their new head coach.[16] Among Musselman's body of work was previous service as head coach for the NBA's Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors.
The NBA lockout began and the Los Angeles Laker Girls, who had been practicing all summer for their upcoming Lakers game performances, now had no audience. The Lakers organization decided the Laker Girls would perform at the D-Fender home games for the duration of the season.
With a new general manager, a new head coach, and the excitement of the Laker Girls, the D-Fenders had a breakout season, posting a regular season record of 38–12, an annual recognition award given to the team that best embodies the NBA D-League's goal of developing NBA basketball talent via call-ups and/or assignments.
Playoff upsets (2012–2015)
For the 2012–13 campaign, the D-Fenders had a new head coach, former NBA Sacramento Kings Head Coach Reggie Theus. The D-Fenders played a 50-game regular season of which 25 games were scheduled as home games. The Laker Girls decided to stay on and once again performed at all home games. In a year characterized by L.A.'s shuffling of players, the team would finish with a 21–29 record in Theus's only season at the helm. The one constant throughout the year for the D-Fenders was Fortson, who finished the year as the D-League's leader in assists (7.1) and was second in steals (2.0) while also tying a franchise record 15 assists in a single game. He would go on to be named to the NBA D-League All-Star squad, his first career selection to the event.
In May 2013, the D-Fenders named former NBA player
On August 28, 2014, the D-Fenders hired Phil Hubbard as head coach, the team's sixth coach in as many years. Offensive firepower was never an issue for the team, as Jabari Brown finished as the league's leading scorer with 24.4 points per outing. Brown joined Vander Blue and Roscoe Smith as members of the 2015 All-Star Game. Overall, Los Angeles scored the third-most points per game (116.8), while ranking second in points in the paint (57.4) and on fast-break scoring (21.3). The D-Fenders would finish with a record of 17–33 while missing the playoffs.
Final seasons as D-Fenders (2015–2017)
Ahead of the 2015–16 season, the D-Fenders hired Conner Henry as head coach. However, he left to become an assistant coach for the Orlando Magic. On August 5, Casey Owens was named the head coach of the D-Fenders. Los Angeles eventually advanced to the NBA D-League finals for the second time in franchise history, even as the team finished with a 27–23 regular season record. Ultimately, the D-Fenders would fall one game short of a league championship as the Sioux Falls Skyforce capped off the best season in NBA D-League history. Blue led the league in points scored (1,262) and finished second in scoring average (26.3) en route to a First Team All-NBA D-League selection. Meanwhile, Jeff Ayres (first team) and Ryan Gomes (third team) were also awarded with All-NBA D-League honors. Gomes, an NBA veteran, provided a large boost to the D-Fenders lineup and was named as the NBA D-League's Impact Player of the Year after averaging 18.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists. Point guard Josh Magette led the league in assists (9.2) and steals (2.4), while two D-Fenders earned GATORADE Call-Ups: Ayres (L.A. Clippers) and Justin Harper (Detroit Pistons).
On September 12, 2016, the D-Fenders announced the addition of Coby Karl as the team's head coach prior to the 2016–17 season. Karl, the son of NBA coaching legend George Karl, was a former player for the Lakers and D-Fenders. The second person to ever play in an NBA and NBADL game in the same day, Karl entered his first head coaching position in Los Angeles.
Rebrand as South Bay Lakers (2017–present)
On April 9, 2017, the Los Angeles Lakers announced that the D-Fenders would be re-branded as the South Bay Lakers at the conclusion of the 2016–17 season and the playoffs. They also announced that they were leaving the Toyota Events Center and moving into the new UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo, which would also serve at the Lakers new practice facility. After the D-Fenders were eliminated from the D-League playoffs on April 11, 2017, the team began the re-branding process.[25] The newly re-branded club unveiled its primary and secondary marks on April 8, 2017.[26]
The 2018–19 South Bay Lakers placed fourth in the Pacific Division and had a record of 21–29, missing the playoffs. The 2019–20 season was curtailed due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic while the Lakers were outside of a playoff position, and then the team opted out of the single-site 2021 season. In July 2021, head coach Karl was announced as not returning to the organization[27] and was replaced by Los Angeles Lakers' assistant coach Miles Simon.[28]
Current roster
Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Roster |
Season-by-season record
Season | Division | Regular season | Playoffs | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Finish | Wins | Losses | Pct. | ||||
Los Angeles D-Fenders | |||||||
2006–07 | Western | 5th | 23 | 27 | .460 | ||
2007–08 | Western | 2nd | 32 | 18 | .640 | Won First Round ( Idaho ) 90–97
| |
2008–09 | Western | 5th | 19 | 31 | .380 | ||
2009–10 | Western | 9th | 16 | 34 | .320 | ||
2010–11 | Suspended operations | ||||||
2011–12 | Western | 1st | 38 | 12 | .760 | Won First Round ( Austin ) 1–2
| |
2012–13 | Western | 3rd | 21 | 29 | .420 | ||
2013–14 | Western | 1st | 31 | 19 | .620 | Lost First Round (Santa Cruz) 0–2 | |
2014–15 | Pacific | 4th | 17 | 33 | .340 | ||
2015–16 | Pacific | 2nd | 27 | 23 | .540 | Won First Round () 0–2 | |
2016–17 | Pacific | 1st | 34 | 16 | .680 | Lost First Round (Rio Grande Valley) 1–2 | |
South Bay Lakers | |||||||
2017–18 | Pacific | 2nd | 28 | 22 | .560 | Won First Round ( Reno) 126–109 ) 93–104
Lost Conf. Final (Austin | |
2018–19 | Pacific | 4th | 21 | 29 | .420 | ||
2019–20 | Pacific | 4th | 19 | 25 | .432 | Season cancelled by COVID-19 pandemic | |
2020–21 | Opted out of single-site season | ||||||
2021–22 | Western | 3rd | 21 | 11 | .656 | Won Conference Quarterfinal ( Agua Caliente ) 110–112
| |
2022–23 | Western | 3rd | 21 | 11 | .656 | Lost Conference Quarterfinal (Rio Grande Valley) 122–124 | |
Regular season | 368 | 340 | .520 | ||||
Playoffs | 13 | 15 | .464 |
Head coaches
# | Head coach | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Achievements | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G | W | L | Win% | G | W | L | Win% | ||||
1 | Dan Panaggio | 2006–2009 | 150 | 74 | 76 | .493 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | |
2 | Chucky Brown | 2009–2010 | 50 | 16 | 34 | .320 | — | — | — | — | |
3 | Eric Musselman | 2011–2012 | 50 | 38 | 12 | .760 | 7 | 5 | 2 | .714 | D-League Coach of the Year: 2012 |
4 | Reggie Theus | 2012–2013 | 50 | 21 | 29 | .420 | — | — | — | — | |
5 | Mark Madsen | 2013 | Left before coaching a game | ||||||||
6 | Bob MacKinnon, Jr. |
2013–2014 | 50 | 31 | 19 | .620 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | |
7 | Phil Hubbard | 2014–2015 | 50 | 17 | 33 | .340 | — | — | — | — | |
8 | Casey Owens | 2015–2016 | 50 | 27 | 23 | .540 | 8 | 4 | 4 | .500 | |
9 | Coby Karl | 2016–2020 | 150 | 83 | 67 | .553 | 6 | 3 | 3 | .500 | |
10 | Miles Simon | 2021–2023 | 64 | 42 | 22 | .656 | 2 | 1 | 2 | .333 | |
11 | Dane Johnson | 2023–present | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
NBA affiliates
South Bay Lakers
- Los Angeles Lakers (2017–present)
Los Angeles D-Fenders
- Los Angeles Lakers (2006–2017)
References
- ^ Primeaux, Ryan (January 22, 2017). "South Bay Lakers". SouthBay.GLeague.NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- ^ "Fingertip Information" (PDF). 2019-20 South Bay Lakers Media Guide. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. November 8, 2019. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
- ^ "South Bay Lakers Reproduction Guideline Sheet". NBA Properties, Inc. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
- ^ Primeaux, Ryan (January 22, 2017). "D-Fenders to Become South Bay Lakers Following 2016–17 Season". SouthBay.GLeague.NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- ^ Pincus, Eric (December 21, 2012). "Time Warner Cable SportsNet to air D-Fenders". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 22, 2012.
- ^ Hastings, Carolyn (June 19, 2008). "Los Angeles Breakers Basketball". Retrieved February 23, 2014.
- ^ "Los Angeles D-Fenders Announce Team Name, Unveil Logo". NBA.com. July 26, 2006. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
- NBA.com. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
- ^ unknown. "D-Fenders Tipoff D-League Season on Friday, November 28th". NBA.com. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
- NBA.com. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
- ^ Bresnahan, Mike (May 21, 2010). "D-Fenders, Lakers' minor league affiliate, will take one-year hiatus". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
- ^ "NBA D-League Announces NBA Affiliates For 2010–11 Season". Los Angeles Times. July 6, 2010. Archived from the original on August 13, 2010. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
- NBA.com. Archived from the originalon August 14, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
- ^ Shelburne, Ramona (July 6, 2010). "Ronnie Lester's 24-year run ending". ESPN LA. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
- ^ "Facts and Figures 2011–2012 Los Angeles D-Fenders Media Guide" (PDF). Los Angeles D-Fenders. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 8, 2014. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
- ^ "LAKERS: Los Angeles D-Fenders". www.nba.com. Archived from the original on July 3, 2011.
- ^ "D-Fenders 2011–12 Season Recap". NBA.com. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
- NBA.com. Archived from the originalon March 9, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
- NBA.com. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
- NBA.com. Archived from the originalon June 1, 2013. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
- NBA.com. January 10, 2014. Archived from the originalon January 11, 2014. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
- NBA.com.
- NBA.com.
- NBA.com. Archived from the originalon February 22, 2014.
- ^ Primeaux, Ryan (January 22, 2017). "D-Fenders to Become South Bay Lakers Following 2016–17 Season". nba.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
- ^ Greene, T.C. (April 8, 2017). "D-Fenders Introduce South Bay Lakers Brand Marks". NBA Development League. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
- ^ "Coby Karl will not return to coach South Bay Lakers next season". SB Nation. July 17, 2021.
- ^ "South Bay Lakers Name Miles Simon as Head Coach". OurSports Central. September 1, 2021.