Knicks buy expansion D-League team

The New York Knicks announced Monday they purchased the right to own and operate an NBA Development League team that will play in White Plains, N.Y.

The new team expands the D-League to 18 teams next season and is the exclusive affiliate of the Knicks. The team will play its home games at the Westchester County Center, about 30 miles north of New York City.

The Knicks become the seventh NBA team to fully own and operate their own D-League affiliate.

“We are thrilled to work with the New York Knicks and Westchester County to bring NBA D-League basketball to White Plains,” NBA D-League president Dan Reed said in a statement. “The New York area has a rich basketball history and we’re excited to give some of the game’s best fans the opportunity to watch top NBA prospects up close and personal in an intimate, family-friendly and affordable environment.”

Knicks assistant general manager Allan Houston will serve as the new team’s general manager. Bill Boyce was named the team’s vice president of sales and business operations. He spent four years as the president of the D-League’s Texas Legends.

“We are very excited to bring a New York Knicks NBA Development League franchise to Westchester, a great basketball community that has embraced orange and blue and served as our training home for 25 plus years,” Houston said in a statement. “The NBA D-League is thriving, and this opportunity allows us to develop players closer to our training facility, and to provide high level, affordable basketball entertainment to the community.”

Fans can help choose the name for the new team thru March 24 at www.NYKnicksDLeague.com.