Salt Lake Community College will soon host the NBA Development League affiliate of the Utah Jazz, the Salt Lake City Stars, for the 2016-2017 season.
All 24 Stars home games will be played at Bruin Arena, located in the Lifetime Activities Center on the Taylorsville Redwood Campus. SLCC students will receive a 15 percent discount off any ticket purchase by showing their OneCard at the box office.
“Single-game tickets to a Stars game start at only $5, which offers an affordable option for SLCC students to enjoy professional basketball in their own backyard,” says Gina Calvert, public and community relations manager for the Stars. ”The arena will seat a little over 3,500 [people] so every fan will feel like they are on top of the action.”
Bruin Arena has a prior connection to the NBA, hosting Rocky Mountain Revue summer league games through 2008. The venue was selected in hopes of promoting basketball, extending the reach of the Jazz and engaging with the surrounding community in new ways.
During the 2016 off-season, the Utah Jazz became the eighth team to fully own and operate their D-League affiliate. The former Idaho Stampede was relocated to Salt Lake City in hopes of creating a competitive advantage for the NBA franchise.
“The move from Boise to [Salt Lake] allows the Jazz to strengthen their team by providing the younger players an opportunity to develop their skills in an environment that is consistent with Jazz basketball,” Calvert says. “The ability to have some of the more inexperienced players practice with the Jazz and then play in a Stars game, made the move the best option for both teams.”
A record 174 players with D-League experience, or 39 percent of the NBA in total, were on NBA rosters at the end of the 2015-2016 season. This includes former D-League star and current Jazz center Rudy Gobert, who saw time in the D-League during the 2014 season.
The D-League regular season begins later this week and runs through the end of April. The Salt Lake City Stars will play their first home game on Friday, Nov. 18. Visit the team website for more information.
