Raptors 905 announced Friday that they will host the 2017 D-League Showcase.
The news was first reported by NBA.com in July and represents a major vote of confidence from the league in the 905 organization. The 905 are getting the nod in just their second year in existence, and it’s the first time the D-League is moving out of it’s West Coast comfort zone in several years (it’s been in California or Nevada for the last half-decade). With the D-League expanding to 22 teams this season, there’s a desire to broaden the scope of the Showcase, and moving it around (to a major market, no less) should help int hat regard.
“We’re thrilled to bring the NBA D-League’s tentpole event to Mississauga and the Hershey Centre,” D-League President Malcolm Turner said in a statement. “It’s always inspiring to watch our players put their skills on display in front of scouts from all 30 NBA teams and I’m looking forward to being part of the action as the basketball community’s focus shifts to Canada in January.”
“We are honored and excited to be the host team for the 2017 D-League Showcase,” Toronto Raptors President Masai Ujiri said. “Following last year’s successful NBA All-Star Weekend in Toronto, we are eager to assist the League with the premier event for the D-League, its teams and players.”
The Showcase is an annual in-season tournament that takes place immediately before NBA teams are able to give players 10-day contracts, providing an opportunity for the top D-Leaguers to show their stuff in front of a heavy scouting presence. It also helps get the wheels moving a month out from the NBA trade deadline. Every D-League team participates and gets two games each, with Net Rating serving as a tiebreaker for the 2-0 victors.
This year’s tournament will take place Jan. 18-22, a little later than usual and after the 10-day call-up window has already opened. The 2017 Showcase will set a record with 14 games televised nationally in the U.S. on ESPNU and NBA TV, and every D-League team will receive at least one of those televised slots. The 905 will be on NBA TV for both of their games, Jan. 18 (12:30) and Jan. 20 (8:30)
Here’s a bit more information, per the team:
As part of this year’s Showcase, a series of youth-focused programming will be planned throughout the week. The afternoon games will feature youth from local schools as part of the NBA D-League’s School Day initiative. In addition, two Jr. NBA Clinics presented by Shock Doctor, the Official Mouthguard of the NBA D-League, will take place on Thursday and Saturday. More than 100 children from the Ontario community will be taught the fundamentals of the game by current NBA D-League players and provided tickets to that evening’s game.
Tickets to the 2017 NBA D-League Showcase will be sold individually, for groups and in packages for fans to take in all of the action. Information on Showcase tickets is available by e-mail at tickets@raptors905.com. Log on to www.raptors905.com/showcase for seating maps and a breakdown of ticket tiers and packages.
All 22 games over the five days will be held at Hershey Centre in Mississauga.
