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2015–16 NBA Development League season
2015–16 NBA Development League season
League	NBA Development League
Sport	Basketball
Duration	November – April
Draft
Top draft pick	Jeff Ayres
Picked by	Idaho Stampede
Regular season
Top seed	Sioux Falls Skyforce
Season MVP	Jarnell Stokes (Sioux Falls Skyforce)
Finals
Champions	Sioux Falls Skyforce
Runners-up	Los Angeles D-Fenders
Finals MVP	Jarnell Stokes
NBA Development League seasons
	← 2014–15 2016–17 →

The 2015–16 NBA Development League season was the 15th season of the NBA Development League (NBA D-League). The NBA D-League is the official minor league basketball organization owned by the National Basketball Association (NBA).

The League expanded to a record 19 teams for the 2015–16 season. An expansion team, Raptors 905, joined the 18 teams from the previous season, while the Fort Wayne Mad Ants were purchased by the Indiana Pacers, leaving just 11 NBA teams without a D-League affiliate for this season (in the 2016–17 season the number of NBA teams without a D-League affiliate will reduce to 8 with the debuts of franchises owned by the Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, and Chicago Bulls).^[1]

The league consisted of two conferences with two divisions each, three with five and one with four. To even out the divisions, the Canton Charge were moved from the East Division to the Central Division.

Teams

Austin Spurs (affiliated with the San Antonio Spurs)
Bakersfield Jam (affiliated with the Phoenix Suns)
Canton Charge (affiliated with the Cleveland Cavaliers)
Delaware 87ers (affiliated with the Philadelphia 76ers)
Erie BayHawks (affiliated with the Orlando Magic)
Fort Wayne Mad Ants (affiliated with the Indiana Pacers)
Grand Rapids Drive (affiliated with the Detroit Pistons)
Idaho Stampede (affiliated with the Utah Jazz)
Iowa Energy (affiliated with the Memphis Grizzlies)
Los Angeles D-Fenders (affiliated with the Los Angeles Lakers)
Maine Red Claws (affiliated with the Boston Celtics)
Oklahoma City Blue (affiliated with the Oklahoma City Thunder)
Raptors 905 (affiliated with the Toronto Raptors)
Reno Bighorns (affiliated with the Sacramento Kings)
Rio Grande Valley Vipers (affiliated with the Houston Rockets)
Santa Cruz Warriors (affiliated with the Golden State Warriors)
Sioux Falls Skyforce (affiliated with the Miami Heat)
Texas Legends (affiliated with the Dallas Mavericks)
Westchester Knicks (affiliated with the New York Knicks)

Regular season

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road
y-Maine Red Claws	31	19	.620	--	15–10	16–9
x-Westchester Knicks	28	22	.560	3	13-12	15–10
Raptors 905	23	27	.460	8	10-15	13–12
Delaware 87ers	21	29	.420	10	13-11	8–18
Erie BayHawks	12	38	.240	19	9-16	3-22

Central Division

Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road
z-Sioux Falls Skyforce	40	10	.800	--	22–3	18–7
x-Canton Charge	31	19	.620	9	18-7	13–12
Iowa Energy	26	24	.520	14	15-11	12–13
Grand Rapids Drive	21	29	.420	19	14-11	7–18
Fort Wayne Mad Ants	20	30	.400	20	13-12	7–18

Western Conference

Pacific Division

Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road
z-Reno Bighorns	33	17	.660	--	20-5	13–12
x-Los Angeles D-Fenders	27	23	.540	6	17–8	10–15
Bakersfield Jam	22	28	.440	11	13–12	9–16
Idaho Stampede	20	30	.400	13	13–12	7–18
Santa Cruz Warriors	19	31	.380	14	12–13	7–18

Southwest Division

Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road
y-Austin Spurs	30	20	.600	--	15–10	15–10
x-Rio Grande Valley Vipers	29	21	.580	1	18–7	11–14
Texas Legends	23	27	.460	7	13–12	10–15
Oklahoma City Blue	19	31	.380	11	10–15	9–16

Playoffs

The Sioux Falls Skyforce (winners of a record forty games during the regular season) won the title over the Los Angeles D-Fenders in three games, winning Game 1 104–99 before Los Angeles tied it up with a 109–102 victory in Game 2, and the Skyforce closed out the title with a 91–63 victory at home. It was their first D-League title and their third overall title, having won two titles (1996, 2005) in the Continental Basketball Association.^[2]^[3]

Quarterfinals
April 5–12
Best of 3

Semifinals
April 12–19
Best of 3

Finals
April 24, April 26 & April 27
Best of 3

E1

Sioux Falls Skyforce

2

E4

Westchester Knicks

0

E1

Sioux Falls Skyforce

2

E3

Canton Charge

0

E2

Maine Red Claws

0

E3

Canton Charge

2

E1

Sioux Falls Skyforce

2

W4

Los Angeles D-Fenders

1

W1

Reno Bighorns

1

W4

Los Angeles D-Fenders

2

W4

Los Angeles D-Fenders

2

W2

Austin Spurs

1

W2

Austin Spurs

2

W3

Rio Grande Valley Vipers

1

Finals boxscore

April 24, 2016
6:00 p.m. CT

Boxscore

Sioux Falls Skyforce 104, Los Angeles D-Fenders 99
Scoring by quarter: 21–22, 30–23, 24–23, 29–31
Pts: Rodney McGruder 30 Rebs: Rodney McGruder 11 Asts: DeAndre Liggins 8		Pts: Vander Blue 31 Rebs: Justin Harper 7 Asts: Josh Magette 8

Toyota Sports Center, El Segundo, California
Attendance: 550
Referees:

#14 JB DeRosa
#26 Brett Nansel
#70 Aaron Smith

April 26, 2016
7:00 p.m. CT

Boxscore

Los Angeles D-Fenders 109, Sioux Falls Skyforce 102
Scoring by quarter: 27–26, 25–27, 28–26, 29–23
Pts: Vander Blue 29 Rebs: Ryan Gomes 11 Asts: Josh Magette 10		Pts: Greg Whittington 17 Rebs: DeAndre Liggins 10 Asts: DeAndre Liggins 6

Sanford Pentagon, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Attendance: 3,250
Referees:

#39 CJ Washington
#45 Ray Acosta
#48 Vladimir Voyard-Tadal

April 27, 2016
7:00 p.m. CT

Boxscore

Los Angeles D-Fenders 63, Sioux Falls Skyforce 91
Scoring by quarter: 17–22, 18–20, 13–27, 15–22
Pts: Josh Magette 21 Rebs: D.J. Shumpert 8 Asts: Josh Magette 3		Pts: Jarnell Stokes 25 Rebs: Jarnell Stokes 12 Asts: DeAndre Liggins 6
Sioux Falls wins series, 2–1