| South Bay Lakers | |
|---|---|
 2025–26 NBA G League season | |
 | |
| 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[1][2][3] |
| Team manager | Nick Mazzella |
| Head coach | Zach Guthrie |
| Ownership | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Affiliation | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Championships | 0 |
| Conference titles | 2 (2012, 2016) |
| Division titles | 2 (2012, 2014) |
| Website | southbay |
TheSouth Bay Lakers are an American professionalbasketball team based inLos Angeles, California, that competes in theNBA G League. Founded in 2006 as theLos Angeles D-Fenders, the team is owned by theLos Angeles Lakers, who were the firstNational Basketball Association (NBA) franchise to own a D-League team. The team was renamed for itsmetro region after the 2016–17 D-League season, when it moved home games from theToyota Sports Center inEl Segundo to the nearbyUCLA Health Training Center, a new practice facility for the Los Angeles Lakers.[4]
All games are broadcast instreaming audio from the team's website and on the NBA's Futurecast web channel. On December 21, 2012, the D-Fenders announced a telecast agreement with TWC SportsNet Channel (nowSpectrum SportsNet).[5]
The team's name was chosen in a "name the team" contest with a format similar to a March MadnessNCAA tournament bracket with 64 candidates. Voting took place from April to June 5, 2006, when "Breakers" emerged as the winner and "D-Fenders" the runner-up. After the Lakers organization learned that a local coed dwarf basketball team already used the winning name,[6] they announced the team as the D-Fenders and unveiled its logo on July 26, 2006.[7]
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 thePortland Trail Blazers, served ashead coach.[8]Brian Chase received an All D-LeagueHonorable Mention and was selected for the D-League All-Star Game.Stephane Lasme received the D-Fenders first ever "call up" to the NBA'sMiami 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 ChampionColorado 14ers. In the second round the D-Fenders lost to theIdaho Stampede, who went on to win the D-League Championship.Stephane Lasme 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 theDenver Nuggets. Panaggio was named the All-Star game head coach.Coby Karl, son of NBA CoachGeorge Karl, became the second 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 showcasedOrien 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 theNew York Knicks. Rookie guardSun Yue became the third Lakers player to play for the D-Fenders.
The D-Fenders played several of their home games at theCitizens Business Bank Arena in nearbyOntario, California. This was the first time that admission for D-Fenders' home games was charged solely for the D-Fenders as the main attraction. Paid attendance averaged about 1,500 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.[9]
For the 2009–10 season, the D-Fenders brought in former assistant head coachChucky Brown to be head coach.[10] The D-Fenders posted a record of 16–34 and, for the first time, received no assignments or call-ups from the NBA. Joe Crawford andDiamon 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 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.[11] Coach Brown's contract was not renewed and Assistant General ManagerBonnie Jill Laflin was released. For the season, the Lakers affiliated with theBakersfield Jam, an affiliate of theLos Angeles Clippers.[12]
On June 9, 2011, the D-Fenders announced they would return for the 2011–2012 season and would play home games at theToyota Sports Center inEl Segundo.[13] The headquarters for the Los Angeles Lakers and D-Fenders organizations, the TSC has just 365 seats are available for public sale and no seat is further than six rows from the court. This news was tempered by the loomingNBA lockout and a desire by the Lakers organization to cut overhead. One early casualty was D-Fender General ManagerRonnie Lester. 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.[14]
Glenn Carraro, the remaining D-Fender assistant general manager, was promoted to general manager.[15] On August 18, 2011, the D-Fenders announcedEric Musselman as their new head coach.[16] Among Musselman's body of work was previous service as head coach for the NBA'sSacramento Kings andGolden State Warriors.
The NBA lockout began and the Los AngelesLaker 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 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,[17] 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 (20.3 ppg) andElijah Millsap (19.4 ppg).Malcolm Thomas 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). BothCourtney Fortson 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 andGerald 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 theAustin Toros. To cap off this historic season, Musselman was named D-League Coach of the Year[18] and the front office earned the first-ever NBA Development League Championship Award,[19] 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.
For the 2012–13 campaign, the D-Fenders had a new head coach, former NBA Sacramento Kings Head CoachReggie Theus. 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 playerMark 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.[20] As a result,Bob MacKinnon 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 acquisitionManny Harris posted 49 points against theIdaho Stampede on January 10, 2014, to set a then Los Angeles D-Fenders franchise record.[21] 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 scored 50 points to set a new D-Fenders franchise record.[22] 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.[23] On February 8, 2014, Harris again set a new franchise scoring record, this time with 56 points.[24] Overall, Williams earned All-NBA D-League third team honors andJames Southerland 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 hiredPhil Hubbard as head coach, the team's sixth coach in as many years. Offensive firepower was never an issue for the team, asJabari Brown finished as the league's leading scorer with 24.4 points per outing. Brown joinedVander Blue andRoscoe Smith 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.
Ahead of the 2015–16 season, the D-Fenders hiredConner Henry as head coach. However, he left to become an assistant coach for theOrlando Magic. 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 theSioux 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 (first team) andRyan Gomes (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 guardJosh Magette led the league in assists (9.2) and steals (2.4), while two D-Fenders earned GATORADE Call-Ups: Ayres (L.A. Clippers) andJustin Harper (Detroit Pistons).
On September 12, 2016, the D-Fenders announced the addition ofCoby Karl as the team's head coach prior to the 2016–17 season. Karl, the son of NBA coaching legendGeorge 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.
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.[25] The newly re-branded club unveiled its primary and secondary marks on April 8, 2017.[26]
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 theCOVID-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[27] and was replaced by Los Angeles Lakers' assistant coachMiles Simon.[28]
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head coach Assistant(s)
Legend
Roster |
| Season | Division | Regular season | Playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Wins | Losses | Pct. | ||||
| Los Angeles D-Fenders | |||||||
| 2006–07 | Western | 5th | 23 | 27 | .460 | ||
| 2007–08 | Western | 2nd | 32 | 18 | .640 | Won First Round (Colorado) 102–95 Lost Semifinals (Idaho) 90–97 | |
| 2008–09 | Western | 5th | 19 | 31 | .380 | ||
| 2009–10 | Western | 9th | 16 | 34 | .320 | ||
| 2010–11 | Suspended operations | ||||||
| 2011–12 | Western | 1st | 38 | 12 | .760 | Won First Round (Iowa) 2–0 Won Semifinals (Bakersfield) 2–0 Lost D-League Finals (Austin) 1–2 | |
| 2012–13 | Western | 3rd | 21 | 29 | .420 | ||
| 2013–14 | Western | 1st | 31 | 19 | .620 | Lost First Round (Santa Cruz) 0–2 | |
| 2014–15 | Pacific | 4th | 17 | 33 | .340 | ||
| 2015–16 | Pacific | 2nd | 27 | 23 | .540 | Won First Round (Reno) 2–1 Won Semifinals (Austin) 2–1 Lost D-League Finals (Sioux Falls) 0–2 | |
| 2016–17 | Pacific | 1st | 34 | 16 | .680 | Lost First Round (Rio Grande Valley) 1–2 | |
| South Bay Lakers | |||||||
| 2017–18 | Pacific | 2nd | 28 | 22 | .560 | Won First Round (Oklahoma) 125–105 Won Conf. Semifinal (Reno) 126–109 Lost Conf. Final (Austin) 93–104 | |
| 2018–19 | Pacific | 4th | 21 | 29 | .420 | ||
| 2019–20 | Pacific | 4th | 19 | 25 | .432 | Season cancelled byCOVID-19 pandemic | |
| 2020–21 | Opted out of single-site season | ||||||
| 2021–22 | Western | 3rd | 21 | 11 | .656 | Won Conference Quarterfinal (Santa Cruz) 134–123 Lost Conference Semifinal (Agua Caliente) 110–112 | |
| 2022–23 | Western | 3rd | 21 | 11 | .656 | Lost Conference Quarterfinal (Rio Grande Valley) 122–124 | |
| 2023–24 | Western | 11th | 18 | 16 | .529 | ||
| 2024–25 | Western | 9th | 16 | 18 | .471 | ||
| Regular season | 402 | 374 | .518 | ||||
| Playoffs | 13 | 15 | .464 | ||||
| # | Head coach | Term | Regular season | Playoffs | Achievements | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | Win% | G | W | L | Win% | ||||
| 1 | Dan Panaggio | 2006–2009 | 150 | 74 | 76 | .493 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 | |
| 2 | Chucky Brown | 2009–2010 | 50 | 16 | 34 | .320 | — | — | — | — | |
| 3 | Eric Musselman | 2011–2012 | 50 | 38 | 12 | .760 | 7 | 5 | 2 | .714 | D-League Coach of the Year: 2012 |
| 4 | Reggie Theus | 2012–2013 | 50 | 21 | 29 | .420 | — | — | — | — | |
| 5 | Mark Madsen | 2013 | Left before coaching a game | ||||||||
| 6 | Bob MacKinnon, Jr. | 2013–2014 | 50 | 31 | 19 | .620 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | |
| 7 | Phil Hubbard | 2014–2015 | 50 | 17 | 33 | .340 | — | — | — | — | |
| 8 | Casey Owens | 2015–2016 | 50 | 27 | 23 | .540 | 8 | 4 | 4 | .500 | |
| 9 | Coby Karl | 2016–2020 | 150 | 83 | 67 | .553 | 6 | 3 | 3 | .500 | |
| 10 | Miles Simon | 2021–2023 | 64 | 42 | 22 | .656 | 2 | 1 | 2 | .333 | |
| 11 | Dane Johnson | 2023–2024 | 34 | 18 | 16 | .529 | – | – | – | – | |
| 12 | Zack Gurthie | 2024–present | 34 | 16 | 18 | .471 | – | – | – | – | |
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