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The South Bay Lakers are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Los Angeles. Founded in 2006 as the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the team is owned by the
Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
, who were the first National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise to own a D-League team. At the conclusion of the 2016–17 D-League season, the D-Fenders re-branded as the South Bay Lakers for the G League. They also moved their home games from the
Toyota Sports Center The Toyota Sports Center (formerly the HealthSouth Training Center) is a practice facility for the Los Angeles Kings, and the Ontario Reign, located on 555 North Nash Street in El Segundo, California. The $24 million, facility broke ground o ...
into the
UCLA Health Training Center UCLA Health Training Center is an indoor arena and basketball practice facility located in El Segundo, California. It hosts the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League. The facility also serves as the training center for the Los Angeles Lakers of ...
, a new practice facility for the Los Angeles Lakers in El Segundo. All games are broadcast in streaming audio from the team's official website and on the NBA's Futurecast web channel. On December 21, 2012, the D-Fenders announced a telecast agreement with TWC SportsNet Channel (now
Spectrum SportsNet Spectrum Sports (abbreviated as SPECTSN), also known under the corporate names Spectrum Networks, or Charter Sports Regional Networks, is the collective name for a group of regional sports networks in the United States that are primarily owned a ...
).


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. 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. 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. Brian Chase received an All D-League Honorable Mention and was selected for the D-League All-Star Game.
Stephane Lasme Stephane may refer to: * Stéphane, a French given name * Stephane (Ancient Greece) A stephane (''ancient Greek'' στέφανος, from ''στέφω'' (stéphō, “I encircle”), '' Lat.'' Stephanus = wreath, decorative wreath worn on the head ...
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 Colorado 14ers. In the second round the D-Fenders lost to the Idaho Stampede, who went on to win the D-League Championship.
Stephane Lasme Stephane may refer to: * Stéphane, a French given name * Stephane (Ancient Greece) A stephane (''ancient Greek'' στέφανος, from ''στέφω'' (stéphō, “I encircle”), '' Lat.'' Stephanus = wreath, decorative wreath worn on the head ...
shared the D-League Defensive Player of the Year Award and received an All D-League Honorable Mention. Lasme was also selected for the All-Star Game. Jelani McCoy was named All D-League Third Team and selected to the All-Star Game. McCoy also received a "call-up" to the NBA to play for the
Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...
. Panaggio was named the All-Star game head coach. Coby Karl, son of NBA Coach George Karl, became the 2nd player in history to play in an NBA game and a D-League game in the same day. 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 Orien Greene making eight steals in one game against Utah (December 1, 2009). Joe Crawford received an All D-League Honorable Mention and was "called up" to the NBA to play for the
New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...
. Rookie guard
Sun Yue Sun Yue () may refer to: *Sun Yue (warlord) (孙岳, 1878–1928), Chinese warlord *Sun Yueh (孫越, 1930–2018), Chinese/Taiwanese actor *Sun Yue (singer) (孙悦, born 1972), Chinese female singer *Sun Yue (volleyball) (孙玥, born 1973), fema ...
became the third Lakers player to play for the D-Fenders. For the first time the D-Fenders played several of their home games at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in nearby Ontario, California. This marked the first time that admission for D-Fenders' home games was charged solely for the D-Fenders as the main attraction. Attendance averaged approximately 1,500 paid sales per game. The D-Fenders continued to play occasional home games at Staples Center and eventually signed a long-term contract with Staples Center for the remainder of the third season and beyond.


Post-Panaggio era (2009–2011)

For the 2009–10 season, the D-Fenders brought in a "new" coach, Chucky Brown 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 Darquavis Lamar "Dar" Tucker (born April 11, 1988) is an American-Jordanian professional basketball player. He played college basketball at DePaul University. High school Tucker attended Arthur Hill High School, in Saginaw, Michigan, where he pl ...
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 the D-Fenders took this time to perform some housecleaning. Coach Brown's contract was not renewed and Assistant General Manager
Bonnie Jill Laflin Bonnie-Jill Laflin (born March 15, 1976) is an American actress, model, television personality and sportscaster. Laflin has also worked as an actress and most notably as a Scout (sport), scout for the Los Angeles Lakers, making her the league's ...
was released. In the absence of the D-Fenders fielding a team, the Lakers affiliated with the Bakersfield Jam who also served as an affiliate to the Los Angeles Clippers. 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
Toyota Sports Center The Toyota Sports Center (formerly the HealthSouth Training Center) is a practice facility for the Los Angeles Kings, and the Ontario Reign, located on 555 North Nash Street in El Segundo, California. The $24 million, facility broke ground o ...
in El Segundo. In addition to housing the headquarters for the Los Angeles Lakers and D-Fenders organizations, the TSC offers a unique setting to watch some of the brightest young stars in professional basketball as only 365 seats are available for public sale and no seat is further than six rows from the court. This good news was tempered by the looming
NBA lockout The NBA lockout may refer to any of the four lockouts in the history of the National Basketball Association: *The 1995 NBA lockout, which lasted for three months before the 1995–96 season. *The 1996 NBA lockout, which lasted for a couple of hour ...
and a desire by the Lakers organization to cut overhead. One early casualty was D-Fender General Manager
Ronnie Lester Ronnie Lester (born January 1, 1959) is an retired American basketball player and basketball executive. Lester was an NCAA All-American at the University of Iowa, leading Iowa to the 1980 NCAA Final Four. Lester was a member of the 1979 USA Bask ...
. Lester, who had a 24-year association with the Lakers, could not come to terms with the Lakers, and his expiring contract was not renewed along with some other 20 Lakers staffers.


Breakout season (2011–2012)

Glenn Carraro, the remaining D-Fender assistant general manager, was promoted to general manager. Thereafter, on August 18, 2011, the D-Fenders announced Eric Musselman as their new head coach. Among Musselman's body of work was previous service as head coach for the NBA's Sacramento Kings and
Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...
. 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, which at the time was the best regular season record ever posted in the D-League. In a season of great individual success, two D-Fenders players placed in the top five for season scoring averages:
Brandon Costner Brandon Jay Costner (born July 21, 1987) is an American professional basketball player, currently a free agent. He most recently played for Puerto Rican teams Grises de Humacao and Santeros de Aguada of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional. He played ...
(20.3 ppg) and
Elijah Millsap Elijah Millsap (born August 12, 1987) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the College Park Skyhawks of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and the University of ...
(19.4 ppg).
Malcolm Thomas Malcolm Thomas may refer to: *Malcolm Thomas (basketball, born 1988), American professional basketball player *Malcolm Thomas (basketball, born 1963), American college basketball player *Malcolm Thomas (rugby union) (1929–2012), Welsh rugby player ...
was named to the All NBA D-League First Team and the Rookie First Team after ranking second in the NBADL for blocks (2.3) and third in rebounds (9.1) and field goal percentage (.619). Both
Courtney Fortson Courtney Fortson (born May 23, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for Spójnia Stargard of the Polish Basketball League (PLK). He played college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks. High school Fortson attended Jefferson Dav ...
and Millsap were named to the All D-League Second Team. Costner was named All D-League Third Team, and Zach Andrews received an Honorable Mention honor. A team record four D-Fenders were selected for the All Star Game: Andrews, Costner, Millsap and Gerald Green. Green was also named the MVP of the All-Star Game. Concluding regular season play, the D-Fenders breezed through the first and second rounds of the playoffs undefeated, easily winning the Western Conference Title. In the finals, the D-fenders took game 1 but dropped the next two games to fall to the
Austin Toros Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
. To cap off this historic season, Musselman was named D-League Coach of the Year and the front office earned the first-ever NBA Development League Championship Award, 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 Reginald Wayne Theus (born October 13, 1957) is an American basketball coach and former player. He played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he was a two-time NBA All-Star. He is currently the head men's basketball he ...
. 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 Mark Madsen as head coach, but he subsequently accepted a position as a player development coach for the Lakers on July 19, leaving the D-Fenders with a head coaching vacancy. As a result,
Bob MacKinnon Robert MacKinnon (December 5, 1927 – July 7, 2015) was an American college and professional basketball coach. He coached three different professional teams in his career; the American Basketball Association's Spirits of St. Louis, and the NBA' ...
stepped in as the team's coach, eventually leading the D-Fenders franchise to a 31–21 record and its second West Division title in franchise history. In his first season with the team, in-season acquisition
Manny Harris Corperryale L'Adorable "Manny" Harris (born September 21, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Cangrejeros de Santurce of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He has previously played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Clevel ...
posted 49 points against the Idaho Stampede on January 10, 2014, to set a then Los Angeles D-Fenders franchise record. Harris would go on to become the first player ever called up to the Lakers from the D-Fenders franchise. Three weeks later, on January 31, 2014,
Terrence Williams Terrence Deshon Williams (born June 28, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player. Williams was drafted 11th overall in the 2009 NBA draft by the New Jersey Nets. He was the senior co-captain for Rick Pitino's 2008–09 Unive ...
scored 50 points to set a new D-Fenders franchise record. On February 5, 2014, the D-Fenders set an NBA D-League record with 26 three-pointers made along with a franchise record 155 points scored. On February 8, 2014, Harris again set a new franchise scoring record, this time with 56 points. Overall, Williams earned All-NBA D-League third team honors and
James Southerland James Southerland III (born April 28, 1990) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Wellington Saints of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for Syracuse. High school care ...
earned All-NBA D-League Rookie second team honors as the D-Fenders suffered an early exit from the NBA D-League Playoffs. 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 Jabari Akil Brown (born December 18, 1992) is an American professional basketball player, who last played for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Missouri Tigers where as a junior he led the SE ...
finished as the league's leading scorer with 24.4 points per outing. Brown joined
Vander Blue Vander may refer to: Names ''van der'', a variant of ''van'' in Dutch names People * Christian Vander (born 1948), French musician *Musetta Vander (born 1969), South African actress and model *Roberto Vander, Dutch-Mexican actor and singer *Vand ...
and
Roscoe Smith Roscoe R. Smith (born May 1, 1991) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). As a freshman, Smith was a ...
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 Conner Henry (born July 21, 1963) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He played collegiately for the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos and was selected as the 89th overall pick in the 1986 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets. Hen ...
as head coach. However, he left to become an assistant coach for the
Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...
. 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 Jeffrey Curtis Ayres (born Jeffrey Curtis Orcutt; April 29, 1987), formerly known as Jeff Pendergraph, is an American professional basketball player for Taoyuan Pauian Pilots of the P. League+. He attended Etiwanda High School in Rancho Cucamonga ...
(first team) and
Ryan Gomes Ryan Anthony Gomes (born September 1, 1982) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Cold Hearts of Overtime Elite (OTE). He was named a First Team All-American power forward at Providence Coll ...
(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. The newly re-branded club unveiled its primary and secondary marks on April 8, 2017. 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 and was replaced by Los Angeles Lakers' assistant coach
Miles Simon Miles Julian Simon (born November 21, 1975) is an American basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League. College career Simon was born in Stockholm to an American father and a Norwegian mo ...
.


Current roster


Executive group

*Owner/Governor – Buss family *President/CEO – Joey Buss *General counsel/secretary – Dan Grigsby *Senior vice president/CFO – Joe McCormack


Operations group

*General manager – Nick Mazzella *Director of basketball operations – Nicholas Lagios *Director of scouting – Jesse Buss *Athletic trainer – Colin Diment *Sales representative – Heather Dominquez *Public relations coordinator – Noah Camarena


Season-by-season record


Head coaches


NBA affiliates


South Bay Lakers

*
Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
(2017–present)


Los Angeles D-Fenders

*
Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
(2006–2017)


References


External links

*
D-League Finals Gallery
{{California sports Basketball teams established in 2006 2006 establishments in California Basketball teams in California