Chicago Bulls Purchase NBA Development League Team

The NBA Development League and the Chicago Bulls announced today that the team has been granted the right to own and operate an NBA D-League club that will begin play in the 2016-17 season.

The new team, which will play its home games at Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill., will be the NBA D-League’s record 22nd franchise, while the Bulls become the 13th NBA team to fully own and operate its NBA D-League affiliate.

“It’s an exciting time for the NBA D-League as we announce the league’s record 22nd team,” said Malcolm Turner, NBA D-League President.

I couldn’t be prouder to welcome the Bulls into the NBA D-League family of owners and look forward to sitting alongside the great basketball fans in Illinois to watch this new team compete at the Sears Centre Arena next season.” To celebrate the Bulls’ announcement of an NBA D-League franchise in Hoffman Estates, the team will bring Benny the Bull and other Bulls entertainers on a caravan throughout the community on Thursday, Nov.

All 19 teams for the 2015-16 season are singly affiliated with an NBA parent club, a first for the NBA D-League, and the three teams joining the NBA D-League for 2016-17 are owned by the Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets and Bulls, respectively.

Since the 2005 season, when the league played with eight unaffiliated teams, the NBA D-League has welcomed 14 new teams, all of which are owned or operated by an NBA team.

To date, eight NBA players, including four members of the 2015 NBA Draft class, have been assigned to the NBA D-League to develop their skills.

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.