Larry H. Miller Sports & Entertainment and the NBA Development League announced today that the Idaho Stampede, the NBA D-League team owned and operated by the Utah Jazz, will relocate to Salt Lake City beginning with the 2016-17 season.
The team will be known as the Salt Lake City Stars, paying tribute to its American Basketball Association roots from 1970-76 when the Utah Stars won the league championship in 1971, and to the Utah Starzz, the WNBA team based in Salt Lake City from 1997-2002. A new logo highlighting the navy and gold color scheme of the Utah Jazz with a nod to the community’s basketball history was also unveiled.
The Salt Lake City Stars will play their home games at Salt Lake Community College, located less than 10 miles from downtown Salt Lake City. The 5,000-seat Lifetime Activities Center-Bruin Arena on Redwood Road has been the previous site of the Rocky Mountain Revue NBA Summer League.
“We are thrilled to bring an NBA D-League team to Salt Lake City and in close proximity to the Utah Jazz,” said Steve Starks, president of Larry H. Miller Sports & Entertainment. “The Salt Lake City Stars will provide further opportunities to promote the game of basketball, extend the reach of the Jazz, and engage with our surrounding communities in new ways.”
Bart Sharp has been named general manager of the new NBA D-League team in Salt Lake City, aligning all business aspects, including ticket sales, sponsorships and marketing. He has worked in the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies since 2010 as a marketing executive for LHMSE, Fanzz Sports Stores and Saxton Horne Communications.
“The relocation of the Idaho Stampede to Salt Lake City is another exciting example of the increased connectivity between NBA D-League teams and their NBA parent clubs,” said Malcolm Turner, NBA D-League President. “I want to thank the city of Boise and the fans in the Treasure
Valley for their support of the Stampede over the years, and am excited to watch the Stars shine brightly alongside the Jazz in Salt Lake City.”
“The relocation of our D-League team to Utah will further align our efforts in player development and basketball operations to support the Jazz,” said Dennis Lindsey, Utah Jazz general manager. “The close relationship will strengthen our team on the court by providing our younger players a chance to grow in an environment that is consistent with Jazz basketball. Additionally, it serves as a training ground for all aspects of our organization, from coaches to support personnel.”
Utah Jazz assistant general manager Justin Zanik will continue to coordinate all basketball operations decisions for the Stars as he did for the Stampede. Zanik joined the organization in 2013 under Lindsey after being involved in all aspects of athlete representation for 15 years.
The Salt Lake City Stars primary logo features a SLC monogram at its center, representing Salt Lake City. The monogram rests inside a navy basketball, which is enveloped by a gold star. The SLC monogram and the Salt Lake City Stars wordmark are flanked by smaller stars, whose shape and placement are reminiscent of the classic ABA Utah Stars uniform. The team colors of navy and gold are shared with the Jazz, reinforcing the partnership between the two teams. All logos were designed by the Larry H. Miller Sports & Entertainment Creative Services department.
The Utah Jazz purchased the Boise-based Idaho Stampede in March 2015 becoming the eighth NBA team at the time with full control over an NBA D-League team’s business and basketball operations. Previously, the Jazz and Stampede had entered into a single affiliation agreement for the 2014-15 season.
The Salt Lake City Stars will begin play with the 2016-17 season and host a 24-game home schedule between November and April at Salt Lake Community College. Fans interested in purchasing Salt Lake City Stars season tickets can visit www.slcstars.com for information or call (801) 355-DUNK to place a $50 deposit to gain season-ticket priority. Season ticket prices start as low as $3.25 per game.
For more information on the Utah Jazz D-League affiliate, please visit www.slcstars.com or follow the team @slcstars on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat.
Launched in 2001, the NBA D-League has expanded from an eight-team league to a record 22 teams for the 2016-17 season. All 19 teams for the 2015-16 season are singly affiliated with an NBA parent club, a first for the NBA D-League, and the three teams joining the NBA D-League for 2016-17 are owned by the Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls.
Four different players have been assigned to the D-League since the Jazz entered a single affiliation in 2014. Players on the current Jazz roster with D-League experience are Rudy Gobert, Chris Johnson, Shelvin Mack and Tibor Pleiss. Since player assignments began in 2005, the Jazz have had five different NBA D-League shared affiliates and have placed 11 different players on a total of 30 assignments.