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Buss Becomes Owner of His Own D-League Team

NBA has approved Jerry Buss, owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, to own his own D-League team. This is the first time the NBA allows a minor-league franchise to be controlled by the same team`s club. Buss` team will join the NBDL in the following season and play at the Staples Center, already home to the Lakers and Clippers. The team might move though to Ontario, a suburb east of Los Angeles, in a few years.

The league`s Board of Governors had to approve an amendment to the NBA`s constitution to permit the move, which was set in motion earlier this season when the Lakers purchased the rights to an NBA Development League expansion team. "I think we`re going to see a lot of teams go down this road. One of the teams may be the Knicks," Commissioner David Stern told ESPN following the conclusion of the annual mid-April meeting of team owners. "This is a long-term thought that`s beginning to make more sense to our teams."

However, the Lakers will still be bound by the same rules as the other 29 NBA teams when it comes to assigning players to their D-League affiliate. Only players in their first and second years are eligible, and no more than two players can be sent at one time to a D-League assignment. In addition, the D-League`s central office assigns players to their teams, preventing the Lakers from using their minor-league team as a place to stock prospects.