- Albuquerque Thunderbirds
NBADL team
color1 = #FF4600
color2 = black
name = Albuquerque Thunderbirds
imagesize = 150px
League =NBA Development League
founded =2001
history = Huntsville Flight
2001-2005
Albuquerque Thunderbirds
2005-Present
arena =Tingley Coliseum
city =Albuquerque, New Mexico
colors = Orange andBlack
coach =Jeff Ruland
owner = David Kahn
Southwest Basketball, LLC
league_champs = 1 (2006 ) | division_champs = 1 (2006 )
affiliations =Dallas Mavericks Miami Heat The Albuquerque Thunderbirds is the name of an
NBA Development League minor leaguebasketball team based inAlbuquerque, New Mexico ,United States . TheirNBA affiliates are theDallas Mavericks and theMiami Heat . The games are broadcast in Albuquerque on 96.3 KBZU, produced by Roberto Gonzales.Franchise history
The team was formed as the Huntsville Flight and were established in
Huntsville, Alabama in2001 as a founding member of the NBDL, the affiliate minor league of the NBA. The team ended its tenure inAlabama at the conclusion of the 2005 season after finishing 3rd in the overall NBDL standings at 27-21. They became the Albuquerque Thunderbirds the following season. In 2006, the team also won the D-League Championship game over the Fort Worth Flyers in their first year of existence inAlbuquerque . They are directly affiliated with NBA teams the Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, and the Phoenix Suns. In the 2006-2007 season, along with the Tulsa 66ers (formerly the Asheville Altitude), the Austin Toros (formerly the Columbus Riverdragons), and the Florida Flame (formerly the Charleston Lowgators), who are not playing for the 2006-2007 season. The Albuquerque Thunderbirds (formerly the Huntsville Flight) are playing in their sixth season in the National Basketball Association Development League.eason-By-Season
Huntsville Flight
Players eligible for affiliation
Phoenix Suns:
*D.J. Strawberry
*Alando Tucker Philadelphia 76ers:
*Herbert Hill
*Jason Smith
*Thaddeus Young External links
* [http://www.nba.com/dleague/albuquerque/index.html Albuquerque Thunderbirds Homepage]
* [http://www.nba.com/nbdl/ Official NBA Development League website]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.