NBADL Showcase Gets Extreme Makeover for 2015

After an extended stay in Reno, the NBA D-League Showcase will head west to the Bay Area while adding a prestigious award and extra game for premium play.  

In a press release on Monday, the league announced that Santa Cruz will host the 11th annual NBA D-League Showcase presented by Samsung at the Kaiser Permanente Arena.  The 2015 NBA D-League Showcase presented by Samsung will run over five days, from Jan 15-19, and will feature all 18 NBA D-League teams playing two regular season games apiece in a new in-season tournament format, the Showcase Cup.

“The Showcase is a proving ground for players and coaches to demonstrate their impressive skills, and we’re excited to bring that passion for basketball to Santa Cruz, a city with energetic and devoted fans,” said NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum.  “We’re looking forward to working with Jim Weyermann and the rest of the Santa Cruz Warriors family to put on a top-notch event in January.”

The Showcase Cup is a single elimination tournament featuring the eight NBA D-League teams with the best records through and including Jan. 1, 2015 being seeded in a bracket and competing in two games each.  The Cup will culminate in a championship game where an inaugural Cup winner will be crowned.  The 10 NBA D-League teams not in contention for the Cup will play two non-tournament games apiece during the Showcase.  All games in Santa Cruz, with the exception of the Showcase Cup championship game, will count towards team regular season records.

Attended by general managers and player personnel executives from all 30 NBA teams, the NBA D-League Showcase presented by Samsung provides the league’s players and coaches an opportunity to display their talents for five consecutive days in one location as the world’s basketball focus shifts to Northern California.  More than 40 NBA D-League players have earned GATORADE Call-Ups during or in the days immediately following the last 10 NBA D-League Showcases.

The Santa Cruz Warriors enjoyed a 2013-14 campaign in which the team reached the NBA D-League Finals for the second time in as many seasons while earning the 2014 NBA D-League Development Champion Award.  Three Santa Cruz Warriors earned a total of eight GATORADE Call-Ups to the NBA last season, while an additional five Golden State Warriors spent time in Santa Cruz honing their skills.  In total, one third of NBA players at the end of the 2013-14 season boasted NBA D-League experience, while the 2013-14 campaign was a record breaking one for player call-ups (49) and assignments (187) during a complete NBA season.

A full game and broadcast schedule for the 2015 NBA D-League Showcase presented by Samsung will be announced at a later date.