South Bay Lakers facts for kids

Quick facts for kids South Bay Lakers
Conference	Western
League	NBA G League
Founded	2006
History	Los Angeles D-Fenders 2006–2017 South Bay Lakers 2017–present
Arena	UCLA Health Training Center
Location	El Segundo, California
Team colors	Purple, gold, South Bay blue
Team manager	Nick Mazzella
Head coach	Zach Guthrie
Ownership	Los Angeles Lakers
Affiliation(s)	Los Angeles Lakers
Championships	0
Conference titles	2 (2012, 2016)
Division titles	2 (2012, 2014)

The South Bay Lakers are a professional basketball team from Los Angeles, California. They play in the NBA G League, which is like a development league for the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team started in 2006 as the Los Angeles D-Fenders.

The Los Angeles Lakers own this team. They were the first NBA team to own their own G League team. In 2017, the team changed its name to South Bay Lakers. This happened when they moved their home games to the UCLA Health Training Center. This new facility in El Segundo, California is also where the Los Angeles Lakers practice. You can listen to all their games online on the team's website. Some games are also shown on Spectrum SportsNet.

Team History: From D-Fenders to Lakers

The team has an interesting past. It started with a contest to pick its name.

How the Team Got Its Name

In 2006, fans helped choose the team's name. It was like a big tournament with 64 choices. "Breakers" won the contest. But the Lakers organization found out a local dwarf basketball team already used that name. So, on July 26, 2006, they announced the team would be called the "D-Fenders."

Early Years: The Dan Panaggio Era (2006–2009)

The D-Fenders played their first season in 2006–07. They finished with 23 wins and 27 losses. Even with this record, they almost made the playoffs. Dan Panaggio, a former assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers, was their first head coach.

Some players stood out early on. Brian Chase was chosen for the D-League All-Star Game. Stéphane Lasme was the first D-Fenders player to get "called up" to the NBA. He played for the Miami Heat.

In these early years, D-Fenders games were often played right before or after Los Angeles Lakers games. If you had a ticket to a Lakers game, you could also watch the D-Fenders. On April 1, 2007, Jordan Farmar made history. He was the first player to play in both an NBA game and a D-League game on the same day!

The team got better in the 2007–08 season. They won 32 games and lost 18, making it to the playoffs. They won their first playoff game against the Colorado 14ers. But they lost in the next round to the Idaho Stampede. Stéphane Lasme won an award for Defensive Player of the Year. Jelani McCoy also played well and was called up to the Denver Nuggets.

In 2008–09, the team had a tougher season, winning 19 games. Orien Greene made eight steals in one game. Joe Crawford was called up to the New York Knicks. Sun Yue became the third Lakers player to also play for the D-Fenders. The team started charging for tickets to their games, and about 1,500 fans came to watch.

The original Los Angeles D-Fenders logo, used from 2006 to 2017.

Changes and a Break (2009–2011)

For the 2009–10 season, Chucky Brown became the new head coach. The team won 16 games. This was the first season they didn't have any players called up to the NBA. Dar Tucker won the Slam Dunk Contest at the All-Star Weekend.

In May 2010, the D-Fenders announced they would not play in the 2010–11 season. The Lakers decided to work with another team, the Bakersfield Jam, for that year.

But on June 9, 2011, the D-Fenders announced they would return for the 2011–12 season! They would play their home games at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo. This place is the headquarters for both the Lakers and D-Fenders. It's a small arena with only 365 seats, so fans are very close to the court.

A Record-Breaking Season (2011–2012)

The D-Fenders had an amazing season in 2011–12. Eric Musselman, a former NBA head coach, became their new coach. The Laker Girls also started performing at D-Fenders home games, which added to the excitement.

The team set a record for the best regular season in D-League history at the time, with 38 wins and 12 losses. Many players had great individual success. Brandon Costner and Elijah Millsap were top scorers. Malcolm Thomas was named to the All NBA D-League First Team.

Four D-Fenders players were chosen for the All-Star Game: Zach Andrews, Costner, Millsap, and Gerald Green. Green was even named the MVP of the All-Star Game! The D-Fenders easily won the Western Conference Title in the playoffs. They made it to the finals but lost to the Austin Toros. Coach Musselman was named D-League Coach of the Year.

Playoff Challenges (2012–2015)

In 2012–13, Reggie Theus became the new head coach. The Laker Girls continued to perform at home games. The team finished with 21 wins and 29 losses. Courtney Fortson was a key player, leading the D-League in assists. He also made the NBA D-League All-Star team.

In 2013, Mark Madsen was named head coach, but he quickly left to coach for the Lakers. So, Bob MacKinnon stepped in. He led the team to a 31–19 record and another West Division title.

Players like Manny Harris and Terrence Williams set new scoring records for the team. Harris was the first D-Fenders player called up to the Lakers. In one game, the D-Fenders set a D-League record with 26 three-pointers and scored 155 points! Despite these big scores, they lost early in the playoffs.

Phil Hubbard became the head coach for the 2014–15 season. Jabari Brown was the league's top scorer, averaging 24.4 points per game. The team scored a lot of points but finished with a 17–33 record and missed the playoffs.

Last Seasons as D-Fenders (2015–2017)

Before the 2015–16 season, Casey Owens became the head coach. The D-Fenders made it to the NBA D-League finals for the second time! They had a 27–23 regular season record. However, they lost in the finals to the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

Vander Blue led the league in points scored and was named to the First Team All-NBA D-League. Jeff Ayres and Ryan Gomes also received honors. Josh Magette led the league in assists and steals.

On September 12, 2016, Coby Karl became the head coach for the 2016–17 season. Karl had played for both the Lakers and D-Fenders before.

Becoming the South Bay Lakers (2017–Present)

On April 9, 2017, the Los Angeles Lakers announced a big change. The D-Fenders would be renamed the South Bay Lakers! They also announced the team would move to the new UCLA Health Training Center. This new facility is also the Lakers' practice home. After the D-Fenders were out of the playoffs on April 11, 2017, the team officially became the South Bay Lakers. They showed off their new team colors and logos on April 8, 2017.

The South Bay Lakers finished fourth in their division in 2018–19. The 2019–20 season was cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The team then chose not to play in the special 2021 season. In July 2021, Miles Simon took over as head coach.

Team Roster

Season-by-Season Performance

Head Coaches Through the Years

NBA Team Connections

South Bay Lakers

• Los Angeles Lakers (2017–present)

Los Angeles D-Fenders

• Los Angeles Lakers (2006–2017)

See also

In Spanish: South Bay Lakers para niños