NBA Development League All-Star Game
The NBA Development League All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game held by the National Basketball Association Development League (NBA D-League). The D-League was founded in 2001 as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL). The league adopted its current name at the start of the 2005–06 season.[1] The league serves as the National Basketball Association's official minor league basketball organization. The game was first held during the 2006–07 season as part of the NBA All-Star Weekend. The D-League All-Star Game is played on Saturday in the same host city as the NBA All-Star Game. However, the game is not held in the same arena as all the other All-Star Saturday events. Instead, it is held on the NBA Jam Session's practice court.[2]
In addition to the All-Star Game, the D-League also holds the D-League Dream Factory Friday Night, an event that is modeled after the NBA All-Star Saturday Night. The event includes some popular competition from the All-Star Saturday Night such as the slam dunk contest and the three-point shootout. The D-League Dream Factory Friday Night was first held during the second D-League All-Star Game in 2008.[3]
All-Star Game
In the D-League All-Star Game, twenty of the league's top players were selected to the All-Star roster by a combination of fan balloting on the official D-League website and voting by the head coaches of D-League teams. The NBA players who are assigned to the D-League teams are eligible to be selected. Players who have been selected by coaches and fans must be on an active roster of a D-League team during the All-Star Weekend. If a player cannot participate whether because of injury, a recall by his NBA team, or a call-up by an NBA team, a replacement player will be named. The starting lineups were picked by the head coaches.[4][5] The coaches for the All-Star game are the head coaches who currently lead the teams with the best winning percentage in the league through the three weeks before the All-Star game.[6] The first two games were played in four quarters of 12 minutes, similar to a regular NBA or a D-League game and the NBA All-Star Game. However, the next two games were played in two 20-minute halves, similar to a college basketball game and the NBA All-Star Rookie Challenge.
The inaugural D-League All-Star Game was held in Las Vegas, Nevada during the 2007 NBA All-Star Weekend. The players are divided into the Eastern Division and the Western Division. The East won by 14 points and Pops Mensah-Bonsu was named as the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (MVP).[7] In the second and third All-Star Game, the players were divided into the Blue Team and the Red Team since there were three divisions in the D-League at the time. The Blue Team won the 2008 game, while the Red Team won in 2009. Jeremy Richardson won the 2008 All-Star Game MVP award and two players, Blake Ahearn and Courtney Sims, were jointly named as the MVP of the 2009 game.[8][9] In 2010, the players were divided into the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference after the league switched back into two conferences. The West won the game, led by Brian Butch who won the 2010 All-Star Game MVP award.[10]
Results
^A On assignment from the Dallas Mavericks
Dream Factory
The D-League Dream Factory is a series of basketball skills competitions which is modeled after the NBA All-Star Saturday Night. The event took place during the NBA All-Star Weekend and is held on the NBA Jam Session's practice court. The league first hosted the event during the 2008 NBA All-Star Weekend. The event currently includes the slam dunk contest, the three-point shootout and the shooting stars competition, all of which are also annual competitions in the NBA All-Star Saturday Night. The H.O.R.S.E competition was discontinued after 2009 and the hot-shot competition was discontinued after 2008.
Slam Dunk Contest
The slam dunk contest showcases a player's skill in making a slam dunk. The contest is contested by four players. In the first round, each contestant has to perform two dunks. Two contestants with the highest score from those dunks will advance to the final round, where they have to perform two more dunks each to determine the dunk champion.[11]
Three-Point Shootout
In the three-point shootout, four contestants attempt to make as many three-point field goals as possible from five shooting stations behind the three-point arc in one minute. Players begin shooting from one corner of the court, and move from station to station along the three point arc until they reach the other corner. Each of the first four stations have four standard balls, worth one point each, and one specially colored "money ball", worth two points. The fifth shooting station consists of five two-point "money balls". Two contestants with the highest score advance to the final round, where they will re-attempt the three-point shots again from the five shooting stations.[11]
Shooting Stars Competition
The Shooting Stars Competition is competed by four teams of three players each. In this competition, each team must make six shots from six shooting locations of increasing difficulties. Each team has to select a specific player rotation to follow throughout the competition. Each shot must be made before the next player begins shooting in succession. The teams will have two minutes to complete the course and the team who makes all six shots with the fastest time wins the competition.[13]
H–O–R–S–E Competition
The objective of the H.O.R.S.E competition is to accrue as few of the five letters as possible. A player is given a letter every time they fail to duplicate the shot of another player. Each player is given 24 seconds to make or duplicate the shot (dunking was prohibited). Each player who fails to duplicate five shots was eliminated from the competition. The competition is contested by four players. The competition was discontinued after the 2009 event.[11]
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2008 | Lance Allred, Idaho Stampede |
| 2009 | Will Conroy, Albuquerque Thunderbirds |
Hot-Shot Competition
In the Hot-Shot competition, four teams of a D-League player and a D-League fan has to score as many points as possible from the four shooting spots in one minute. The fan is allowed to attempt the one-point layup, while the player is allowed to attempt from any shooting spots, a one-point layup, a two-point free throw, a three-point shot from behind the arc, and a five-point half court shot. Two teams competed simultaneously at each end of the court and the winners advanced to the final round. The fan from the winning team had an opportunity to be a judge in the Slam Dunk Competition.[14] The event was discontinued after the inaugural event in 2008.
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2008 | Carlos Powell, Dakota Wizards |
References
- ^ "NBDL adopts new name, logo, and ball". NBA.com/DLeague. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. July 19, 2005. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
- ^ "Players With NBA Experience Highlight All-Star Rosters". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 17, 2007. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
- ^ Brennan, Matthew (February 6, 2008). "D-League Dream Factory Friday Night Preview". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
- ^ "2009 NBA D-League All-Star Game Participants Unveiled". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 3, 2009. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
- ^ "2009 NBA D-League All-Star Replacements Announced". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 11, 2009. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
- ^ "Bryan Gates and Dan Panaggio To Coach 2008 D-League All-Star Game Presented by Spalding". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 4, 2008. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
- ^ "Mensah-Bonsu Leads East To D-League All-Star Victory". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 17, 2007. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
- ^ Wurst, Matt (February 16, 2008). "Blue All-Stars Top Red, 117-99; Jeremy Richardson Takes M.V.P. Honors". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
- ^ "Sims And Ahearn Named Co-MVPs As Red Defeats Blue In All-Star Game". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 14, 2009. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
- ^ "Brian Butch Captures MVP Honors In 2010 All-Star Game". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 13, 2010. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
- ^ a b c "Field Set For 2009 Dream Factory Friday Night". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 5, 2009. Retrieved November 13, 2010.
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKSU2O7F17I
- ^ "Field Set For 2010 NBA D-League Dream Factory Friday". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 4, 2010. Retrieved November 13, 2010.
- ^ Brennan, Matthew (February 6, 2008). "D-League Dream Factory Friday Night Preview". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved November 13, 2010.