He and fellow countryman Goran Dragic were weaned on stories of former Yugoslavia’s superstars, including Vlade Divac and Drazen Petrovic. Not every game has gone smoothly: In 2013, a regular season game between the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves was postponed after a generator malfunction caused smoke to fill the arena. The G League will have Capitanes, a professional team currently based in Mexico City, join the league as its 29th team for the 2020–2021 season. The Capitanes, a Mexico City-based team from the top Mexico pro league, will be joining the G League starting with the 2020-21 season, NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced Thursday night. Ownership models vary across the NBA G League. The chaotic start to EuroLeague prompted Milan coach Ettore Messina on Monday to call for suspending the season. We need to work particularly with the elite players.”. Who’s got next? The 36-year-old Barea played for the Mavericks for 11 seasons, helping the team win the NBA title in 2011. Seconds before commissioner Adam Silver delivered the news personally to a room packed with mostly Latin American media, Twitter began trickling the word: Mexico City was getting its own NBA G League team. The academy projects to be a destination for top-tier young prospects, similar to many such institutions in Europe that helped develop Doncic and other European talents that moved on to the NBA. Ahead of tonight's 7-game slate, FantasyPros gives you a breakdown of players that are expected to generate the most value relative to salary. MEXICO CITY – The NBA G League, the NBA’s official minor league, and Capitanes, a professional basketball team based in Mexico City, today announced that … That’s the next step to get ready when any NBA team or camp gives you the opportunity.”. MEXICO CITY, Dec. 12, 2019 – The NBA G League, the NBA’s official minor league, and Capitanes, a professional basketball team based in Mexico City, today announced that … USA Basketball is casting a wider-than-usual net in its roster selection for this summer’s rescheduled Tokyo Olympics. Mexico City has a long history with the NBA, hosting its first preseason game in 1992 and its first regular season game in 1997. The basketball training program, backed by the NBA and the Mexican government, develops talent from the Caribbean, Mexico, Central American and South America. Llamas cashed in on that opportunity when he signed with the Phoenix Suns in 1997 as an undrafted free agent out of Grand Canyon University, making him the NBA’s first Mexican-born player. Having said those wonderful things, we’re not in an expansion mode at this time. Starting in 2020-21, the city’s new G League team will provide a much closer glimpse of that goal. “There’s an opportunity to create Mexico’s Team,” Silver said, pointing to the Raptors’ success in building a national brand across Canada as a model. “The fact that the NBA, the most global league in the whole world, is putting solid two feet in our country, I believe it’s great news not only for basketball, but for sports nationwide.”. A pair of his NBA shorts are on display in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame. To bring another Mexican to the NBA, of course, very soon,” decalred Capitanes co-owner Gilberto Hernandez. NBA players from across the world have connected with the Black Lives Matter movement. “This is the next step in this market,” Silver said. The NBA G League will have a franchise based in Mexico City beginning in 2020-21, the league announced on Thursday night in a press release. What is our dream? The G League is currently composed of minor league affiliate organizations for 28 NBA teams. You agree that your personal information will be used to send you messages about NBA related products and services, and share your personal information with NBA partners and affiliates so that they can also contact you about products and services that might be of interest to you. MEXICO CITY — Mexico now knows what it’s like to be an NBA social media bomb. Just 2.4 percent of NBA players are Latino, according to the NBA’s annual racial and gender report card. What were all the regular season games, clinics and youth academies from the last few years building towards? It will be the first time that the G League will expand into Mexico; the Toronto Raptors’ … The NBA G League, the NBA’s official minor league, and Capitanes, a professional basketball team based in Mexico City, today announced that Capitanes will join the NBA G League as its first team from outside the U.S. and Canada. “We need to be on the ground, we need to be local, we need to get basketballs in the hands of young boys and girls,” Silver said. Capitanes, a professional basketball team based in Mexico City, will join the NBA G League as its first team from outside the U.S. and Canada. The building erupted. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced Thursday night that Capitanes — a Mexico City-based team from the top Mexican pro league — will join the G League in the 2020-21 season as the league’s 29th team. The Suns' leading scorer was hurt with about 2 minutes left in overtime Friday night. The 20-year-old Doncic – who is fluent in Spanish after playing professionally in Spain – took the microphone immediately before tipoff on Thursday and greeted the crowd. Placing a G League franchise in Mexico City will allow the NBA to work through international travel and logistics issues while also better familiarizing itself with the Mexican audience and fan base. The 6-foot-11 center was an instant fan favorite in a city with an overwhelming Latin American influence. The team plays their home games in the Gimnasio Juan de la Barrera. Capitanes will become the first G League team from outside the U.S. and Canada. He says a Mexico City team would be operated in partnership with the league office. The Mexico City basketball team Capitanes will join the National Basketball Association’s minor league next year, NBA officials announced on Thursday. Want every headline right at your fingertips? 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