2016-17 NBA Development League season

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The 2016-17 NBA Development League season was the 16th season of the NBA Development League (NBA D-League). The NBA D-League is the official minor league basketball organization owned by the National Basketball Association (NBA). The following the season, the league was rebranded to NBA G League as part of multi-year partnership with Gatorade and its parent company, PepsiCo.

Video 2016-17 NBA Development League season

League changes

The league expanded to a record 22 teams for the 2016-17 season. Three expansion teams were introduced this season (Greensboro Swarm, Long Island Nets, and Windy City Bulls), each of them owned and affiliated with an NBA team. Along with these three new teams, the Bakersfield Jam were purchased by their 2015-16 affiliate, the Phoenix Suns, and relocated to become the Northern Arizona Suns. The Idaho Stampede, who were already owned by the Utah Jazz, were also relocated and became the Salt Lake City Stars. The Reno Bighorns were purchased by their NBA affiliate, the Sacramento Kings just prior to the start of the season. The addition of the three teams, as well as the purchases of existing teams, left just eight NBA teams without a D-League affiliate and only seven D-League teams not owned by an NBA team.

The league consists of two conferences, each with 11 teams split into two divisions, two with six and two with five. The Greensboro Swarm and Long Island Nets were placed into the Atlantic Division. The Raptors 905 moved from the Atlantic Division, along with the newly formed Windy City Bulls, to the Central Division. With the addition of the three expansion teams, to even out the conferences, the Iowa Energy and Sioux Falls Skyforce moved from the Central Division of the Eastern Conference to the Southwest Division of the Western Conference.