FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fort Wayne Mad Ants to be Minnesota Timberwolves 2014-15 NBA D-League Affiliate

Minneapolis/St. Paul The NBA today announced that the Minnesota Timberwolves will be among 13 independent NBA teams affiliated with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants for the 2014-15 NBA season. This is the first season the two teams have been paired as affiliates to develop young players. The Wolves had been paired with the Iowa Energy last season, and the Sioux Falls Skyforce for the previous seven seasons.

Minnesota will be able to send players to Fort Wayne for development or rehabilitation as part of the NBA D-Leagues new flexible assignment system which will enable the 13 independent NBA teams to continue to assign players to the NBA D-League.

To accommodate assignments to Fort Wayne, the lone independent NBA D-League team, a flexible assignment system will be utilized when an independent NBA team assigns a player at a time when the Mad Ants already have either the maximum of four NBA players on assignment or two assigned players at the position of the NBA player who is being assigned. In either event, the NBA D-League will identify to the assigning NBA team any singly-affiliated NBA D-League team that is willing to accept the assigned player, and the independent NBA team assigning the player will choose a team from among those teams to assign the player. If no singly-affiliated NBA D-League team is willing to accept the assigned player, he will be assigned to one of the non-NBA-owned single affiliate teams pursuant to a lottery.

During the 2013-14 season, an all-time high 62 NBA players were assigned to their NBA D-League affiliates a record 187 times. Twenty-five players drafted in 2013 spent time on assignment in the NBA D-League last season, including 10 first-round selections. Portland Trail Blazers rookie C.J. McCollum, selected 10th overall, and Wolves rookie Shabazz Muhammad, selected 14th overall, headlined the group of 2013 NBA draftees who honed their skills in the NBA D-League last season.

The NBA Development League is the NBAs official minor league, preparing players, coaches, officials, trainers, and front-office staff for the NBA while acting as the leagues research and development laboratory. Featuring 18 teams with affiliations with NBA franchise for the 2014-15 season, the league offers elite professional basketball at an affordable price in a fun, family-friendly atmosphere. One-third of all NBA players at the end of the 2013-14 season boasted NBA D-League experience. In fostering the leagues connection to the community, its teams, players and staff promote health and wellness, support local needs and interests, and assist in educational development through NBA D-League Cares programs. Fans can watch all NBA D-League games on nbadleague.com