Phoenix Suns now affiliated with Bakersfield Jam of NBA D-League
Jul 7, 2011, 6:43 PM | Updated: 7:58 pm
The Phoenix Suns have announced they will now be affiliated with the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League.
The Suns will share the Jam with the Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto Raptors.
Last season, the Suns were affiliated with the Iowa Energy, a team that is currently connected to the Bulls Hornets, and Wizards.
This move is important for the Suns, but its real significance is found in the growth of the D-league, which was founded in 2001.
“We’re very excited that an all-time-high nine NBA teams will have exclusive, ‘one-to-one’ relationships with their NBA D-League affiliates this coming season,” said NBA D-League President Dan Reed. “This clear trend of NBA teams buying into the NBA D-League is not only a testament to our past success, but also the sign of a very promising future.”
The D-League continues to grow as last season there were all-time highs in NBA player assignments, individual players assigned and NBA teams assigning a player.
There are nine NBA and D-League teams that have exclusive partnerships, while the seven remaining D-League teams have three NBA partners.
