Texas Legends

The Texas Legends are an NBA G League team based in Frisco, Texas, and the minor league affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks. The franchise began as the Colorado 14ers in 2006, before relocating to Frisco in 2009 and becoming the Texas Legends for the 2010–11 season. The Legends play their home games at the Comerica Center.

This article is about the basketball team in Frisco, Texas. For the statewide junior golf tour, see Texas Legends Junior Tour.
Texas Legends
LeagueNBA G League
Founded2006
HistoryColorado 14ers
2006–2009
Texas Legends
2010–present
ArenaComerica Center
LocationFrisco, Texas
Team colorsRoyal blue, navy blue, silver[1][2][3]
              
Head coachGeorge Galanopoulos[4]
OwnershipTexas D-League Management, LLC
Affiliation(s)Dallas Mavericks
Championships1 (2009)
Conference titles1 (2009)
Division titles1 (2009)
Websitetexas.gleague.nba.com

Franchise history

Colorado 14ers

In 2006, Colorado businessmen Tim Wiens and John Frew, who were building the Broomfield Event Center at the Arista development in Broomfield, Colorado, acquired a new minor league basketball team to attract fans in the northwest Denver-Boulder region. In February, they formed two teams, the minor league hockey team Rocky Mountain Rage, and the Colorado 14ers, originally a Continental Basketball Association club.[5] In April, the 14ers entered the NBA Development League and began their first season.[6] The team was named after Colorado's 14,000-foot mountain peaks.

2006–07 season

Joe Wolf, who played with the Denver Nuggets in the 1990s, was the 14ers' first coach, and put together the roster. The team won 28-22 in its first season, and broke various records for Colorado minor league basketball, from scoring to attendance. The team's leaders included Von Wafer and Louis Amundson, who joined the NBA by the end of the season. Despite losing streaks and roster reorganizations, the team qualified for the playoffs. The 14ers won the Western Division before losing the championship in overtime to the Dakota Wizards.

2007–08 season

The 14ers' second season began with an almost new roster, with only Elton Brown and Eric Osmundson staying. New players included Kaniel Dickens, a top player on the team. Eddie Gill was selected in the draft, joined the NBA before the first game, and returned to the team later. Kevin Hill, the only Canadian, was drafted. Five others joined the NBA, including the simultaneous call-ups of Dickens and Billy Thomas on February 22, 2008, by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite turnover, the 14ers played well, finishing with one more win than the prior season. The 14ers' six consecutive wins at the end of the season put them in the playoffs as a wild card, but they lost in the first round to the Los Angeles D-Fenders.

2008–09 season

The 14ers' third season had the most consecutive seasons played by any minor league basketball franchise in Colorado. The season began with financial issues for the owners and a new coach, Robert MacKinnon. Joe Wolf had moved to the NBA. The new roster included Eddie Gill, Billy Thomas, and Jamar Brown, who had played for the Colorado Crossover. New players, Dominique Coleman and Josh Davis, played well, as did Sonny Weems, assigned from the Denver Nuggets three times to play during the regular season and playoffs. Early in the season, the 14ers led the D-League in wins and set the D-League record for points in a single game with a 147–119 win over the Rio Grande Valley Vipers on March 10. The 14ers later broke that record with a 155–127 win over the Albuquerque Thunderbirds on April 8. Finishing with a record of 34 wins, the 14ers played at home for the playoffs, and defeated the Erie BayHawks, Austin Toros, and Utah Flash to become the D-League champions.

Texas Legends

On June 18, 2009, a Dallas Mavericks executive, Donnie Nelson, purchased the 14ers, and moved the team to Frisco, Texas. They played in 2010–11 with a new nickname, color, and logo.[7][8] On November 5, 2009, women's basketball pioneer Nancy Lieberman became the Legends' head coach, the first woman to lead a men's professional basketball team.[9] The team played in the 2010–11 season out of the Comerica Center.[10] The Legends hired other notable basketball professionals for their front office, including 1986 Slam Dunk Champion Spud Webb as president of basketball operations and 1995 NBA Coach of the Year Del Harris as general manager.[11]

Televised games introduced the Legends to fans of the 16-team league. They were on national TV during Versus three times, and appeared twice on Fox Sports Southwest. The game against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers on Versus was their first TV appearance. After dropping the opener, the Legends had their first win on November 26 against the Idaho Stampede, scoring 108–100. The Legends' first game in Frisco was on November 30. The Legends scored a league record of 84 points in the first half, and a 135–112 win over the Austin Toros. They began the season with a 5–1 record, the best six-game start for an expansion team in the league's history. They finished the regular season with a 24–26 record, and went to the playoffs. They were the third expansion team to play in the postseason, but were eliminated in the first round by the Tulsa 66ers.[11]

After Nancy Lieberman, Del Harris was the head coach, starting October 4, 2011.[12] He coached the Legends for one season, had a 24–26 record for the second consecutive year, but did not make the playoffs. Between 2012 and 2015, the Legends' head coach was former NBA player Eduardo Nájera. The team did not make the playoffs while he was head coach. On July 8, 2015, the Legends hired Nick Van Exel as the head coach.[13] After one season, in June 2016, Exel left to be an assistant coach for the Memphis Grizzlies.[14][15] He was replaced by Bob MacKinnon Jr.,[16] who had previously been the head coach when the 14ers won a D-League championship in Colorado.

Ownership

The team is owned by Texas D-League Management, LLC, which is principally owned by Donnie Nelson, general manager and President of Basketball Operations for the Dallas Mavericks and son of former NBA head coach Don Nelson. The ownership group also includes Evan Wyly, Barry Aycock and Eduardo Nájera.[17]

Season by season
Season Division / Conference Finish Wins Losses Win% Playoffs
Colorado 14ers
2006–07Western2nd2822.560Won First Round vs. Albuquerque Thunderbirds, 130–100
Won Second Round vs. Idaho Stampede, 94–91 (OT)
Lost D-League Finals to Dakota Wizards, 121–129 (OT)
2007–08Southwest2nd2921.580Lost Semifinals to Los Angeles D-Fenders, 95–102
2008–09Southwest1st3416.680Won First Round vs. Erie BayHawks, 129–108
Won Second Round vs. Austin Toros, 114–111
Won D-League Finals vs. Utah Flash, 2–0
Texas Legends
2009–10Did not play
2010–11Western6th2426.480Lost First Round to Tulsa 66ers, 1–2
2011–12Western4th2426.480
2012–13Central5th2129.420
2013–14Central4th2426.480
2014–15Southwest4th2228.440
2015–16Southwest3rd2327.460
2016–17Southwest5th2525.500
2017–18Southwest3rd2921.580Lost First Round to Rio Grande Valley Vipers, 100–107
2018–19Southwest4th1634.320
2019–20Southwest3rd2419.558
Regular season323320.502
Playoffs64.600

Players

Current roster
Roster listing
Texas Legends roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOB (YYYY-MM-DD)From
G 18 Baba, Yudai 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 184 lb (83 kg) 1995–01–07 Japan
F 22 Brown, Chad 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1996–09–08 Central Florida
C 4 Brown, Moses (TW) 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1999–10–13 UCLA
F 0 Burrell, Trahson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1992–11–16 Memphis
G 3 Cleveland, Antonius (TW) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 198 lb (90 kg) 1994–02–02 Southeast Missouri State
F 14 Copeland, Isaac 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 221 lb (100 kg) 1995–06–13 Nebraska
G 5 Fields, Brandon 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1988–08–13 Nevada
F 6 Hoard, Jaylen (TW) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1999–03–30 Wake Forest
F 35 Holman, Aric 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1997–07–11 Mississippi State
G 33 Mathias, Dakota 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1995–07–11 Purdue
G 6 Nelson, Tyler 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1995–08–09 Fairfield
G 1 Perkins, Josh 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1995–08–25 Gonzaga
G 23 Reaves, Josh (TW) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1997–06–04 Penn State
C 15 Tieny Dak, Madit 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1999–07–06 South Sudan
Head coach
  • George Galanopoulos
Assistant coach(es)
  • Zachary Chu
  • Eric Snow
  • Connor Dow
  • DJ Nelson
  • Anthony Citriniti (Athletic Trainer)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • (NBA) On assignment from NBA affiliate
  • (TW) Two-way affiliate player
  • (I) Inactive
  • Injured

Roster
Last transaction: 2019–10–29

Coaches
# Head coach Term Regular season Playoffs Achievements
GWLWin%GWLWin%
1Joe Wolf2006–20081005743.570422.500
2Bob MacKinnon Jr.2008–2009
2016–2019		20010496.520541.800D-League Championship: 2009
3Nancy Lieberman2010–2011502426.480312.333First woman to head coach a professional men's basketball team.
4Del Harris2011–2012502426.480————
5Eduardo Nájera2012–20151506783.447————First Mexican-born head coach in the NBA system.
6Nick Van Exel2015–2016502327.460————
7George Galanopoulos2019–50——.000————

NBA call-ups
Season Player NBA team Date(s) called-up and contract(s) signed
2006–07 Lou Amundson Utah Jazz February 5, 2007: Signed for 10-days[18]
2006–07 Von Wafer Los Angeles Clippers February 21, 2007: Signed for 10-days[19]
2006–07 Lou Amundson Philadelphia 76ers March 8, 2007: Signed for 10-days[18]
2006–07 Von Wafer Denver Nuggets April 13, 2007: Signed for the remainder of the season[20]
2007–08 Eddie Gill New Jersey Nets November 6, 2007: Signed for the remainder of the season
2007–08 Billy Thomas New Jersey Nets December 24, 2007: Signed for the remainder of the season
2007–08 Kaniel Dickens Cleveland Cavaliers February 22, 2008: Signed for 10-days
2007–08 Billy Thomas Cleveland Cavaliers February 22, 2008: Signed for 10-days
2007–08 Eddie Gill Seattle SuperSonics March 24, 2008: Signed for 10-days
2007–08 Billy Thomas Cleveland Cavaliers February 22, 2008: Signed for the remainder of the season
2008–09 Eddie Gill Milwaukee Bucks February 9, 2009: Signed for 10-days
2010–11 Antonio Daniels Philadelphia 76ers April 5, 2011: Signed for the remainder of the season[21]
2011–12 Dan Gadzuric New York Knicks April 20, 2012: Signed for the remainder of the season[22]
2011–12 Sean Williams Boston Celtics April 20, 2012: Signed for the remainder of the season[23]
2012–13 Chris Douglas-Roberts Dallas Mavericks December 23, 2012: Signed for the remainder of the season[24]
2012–13 Mike James Dallas Mavericks January 8, 2013: Signed for 10-days[25]
2012–13 Justin Dentmon Dallas Mavericks March 25, 2013: Signed for 10-days[26]
2012–13 Dwayne Jones Golden State Warriors April 17, 2013: Signed for the remainder of the season[27]
2013–14 Chris Douglas-Roberts Charlotte Bobcats December 11, 2013: Signed for the remainder of the season[28]
2013–14 James Nunnally Philadelphia 76ers March 17, 2014: Signed for 10-days[29]
2013–14 Damion James San Antonio Spurs April 3, 2014: Signed for 10-days[30]
2013–14 Melvin Ely New Orleans Pelicans April 14, 2014: Signed for the remainder of the season[31]
2014–15 Ish Smith Oklahoma City Thunder November 7, 2014: Signed for the remainder of the season[32]
2014–15 Ricky Ledo New York Knicks March 19, 2015: Signed for 10-days[33]

Source: 2015–16 Texas Legends Media Guide

Honor roll
Impact Player of the Year: Eddie Gill (2009)
Rookie of the Year: Lou Amundson (2007)
Sportsmanship Award: Billy Thomas (2008)
All-D-League First Team: Lou Amundson (2007), Elton Brown (2007), Von Wafer (2007), Eddie Gill (2008), Joe Alexander (2011)
All-D-League Second Team: Kaniel Dickens (2008), Josh Davis (2009), James Nunnally (2014)
All-D-League Third Team: Billy Thomas (2008), Eddie Gill (2009), Antonio Daniels (2011), Sean Williams (2011, 2012), Eric Griffin (2015)

Past notable players

NBA affiliates

Texas Legends

Colorado 14ers

References
  1. "Legends Unveil New Logo For 2018-19 Season". TexLegends.com (Press release). NBA Media Ventures, LLC. October 22, 2018. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  2. "10 Years in Frisco Celebration". TexLegends.com (Press release). NBA Media Ventures, LLC. March 14, 2019. Retrieved September 9, 2019. The logo stays true to the Legends’ primary logo and colors, following in the steps of their parent team Dallas Mavericks with deep Dallas navy and royal blue. The primary logo, which reflects the team’s ties to the community, rests inside the 10 and is held up by a banner marking the ten-year accomplishment 2010-2020.
  3. "Texas Legends Reproduction Guideline Sheet". NBA Properties, Inc. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  4. "George Galanopoulos Named Head Coach". TexLegends.com (Press release). NBA Media Ventures, LLC. July 9, 2019. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  5. Cook, Sara (February 27, 2006). "Tabor receies its largest gift". MennoWorld.org. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  6. "NBA Development League Expands To Four Cities". NBA.com. April 6, 2006. Archived from the original on November 17, 2006. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  7. "NBA Development League Team Comes to Frisco, Texas". NBA.com. June 18, 2009. Archived from the original on August 5, 2016. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  8. "NBA D-League team moving to Frisco". USAToday.com. June 18, 2009. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  9. "Meet Nancy Lieberman". NBA.com. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  10. Wigglesworth, Valerie (June 20, 2010). "Frisco's new D-League basketball team starts full-court press months before first game". DallasNews.com. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  11. "TEXAS LEGENDS 2010-11 END OF SEASON RECAP". NBA.com. April 19, 2011. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  12. "Texas Legends Name Del Harris Head Coach". NBA.com. October 4, 2011. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  13. "Texas Legends Name Nick Van Exel Head Coach". NBA.com. July 5, 2015. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  14. "Grizzlies announce additions to Coaching Staff". NBA.com. June 8, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  15. "Getting to Know... Assistant Coach Nick Van Exel". NBA.com. June 8, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  16. "Texas Legends to hire longtime coach Bob MacKinnon to replace Nick Van Exel | SportsDay". 2016-06-28. Retrieved 2016-08-24.
  17. "Owners Bio's". NBA.com. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  18. "Transactions: 2006-07 Season". NBA.com. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  19. "Clippers sign Von Wafer to 10-day contract". InsideHoops.com. February 21, 2007. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  20. "Denver Nuggets Sign Colorado's Von Wafer". NBA.com. April 13, 2007. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  21. "SIXERS SIGN GUARD ANTONIO DANIELS - 4/5/2011". NBA.com. April 5, 2011. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  22. "Texas' Dan Gadzuric Signs With New York Knicks". NBA.com. April 20, 2012. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  23. "Celtics Waive O'Neal, Sign Sean Williams". NBA.com. April 20, 2012. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  24. "Mavericks call up D-League star Douglas-Roberts". NBA.com. December 23, 2012. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  25. "Mavs sign veteran guard James to 10-day contract". NBA.com. January 8, 2013. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  26. "Mavericks sign G Dentmon to 10-day contract". NBA.com. March 25, 2013. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  27. "Warriors Sign Free Agent Forward/Center Dwayne Jones". NBA.com. April 17, 2013. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  28. "Cats Sign Chris Douglas-Roberts, Waive James Southerland". NBA.com. December 11, 2013. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  29. "Sixers Sign Forward James Nunnally to 10-day Contract". NBA.com. March 17, 2014. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  30. "Spurs Sign Damion James to 10-Day Contract". NBA.com. April 3, 2014. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  31. "PELICANS SIGN ELY". NBA.com. April 14, 2014. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  32. "Thunder Signs Ish Smith". NBA.com. November 7, 2014. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  33. "Knicks Sign Ricky Ledo to 10-Day Contract". NBA.com. March 19, 2015. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.