The Sioux Falls Skyforce are an American professional basketball team of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA D ...

based in

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up ...

, and are affiliated with the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

. The team plays their home games in the

Sanford Pentagon The Sanford Pentagon (colloquially known as The Pentagon) is an indoor arena located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Pentagon opened in September 2013 and has a seating capacity of 3,250 spectators. It hosts the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA G ...

, a place they have called home since the 2013–14 season. The Sioux Falls Skyforce is the longest-running minor-league basketball team in the United States. The Skyforce began in the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball mi ...

(CBA) in 1989. They played their home games at

Sioux Falls Arena Sioux Falls Arena is a 7,500-seat multi-purpose arena located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The facility was built in 1961. It seats 6,113 for basketball games and 4,760 for indoor football and hockey. It was the home of the Sioux Falls Skyforce b ...

from then until the move to the Pentagon in 2013. They participated in four CBA championship finals, winning the championship trophy in 1996 (defeating the Fort Wayne Fury, four games to one) and 2005 (defeating the

Rockford Lightning The Rockford Lightning was a basketball team that played in the Continental Basketball Association. They were based in Rockford, Illinois. History The Lightning were the oldest team in the CBA, originally existing as the Lancaster Red Roses fro ...

three games to one).

History

The team's name was chosen from two entries in a contest to name the team in 1989 which yielded 1,045 suggestions. The names "Sky" and "Force" were combined to create the "Skyforce". The Skyforce have also hosted the CBA All-Star Game three times: in 1996, 2000 and 2003. In 2006, the Skyforce joined the D-League. In their first two seasons in the D-League, they were playoff contenders. In 2009, they suffered a 2–1 series loss in the first round to the

Tulsa 66ers Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

. In 2014, they fared a bit better, sweeping the Canton Charge in the first round before being swept by the eventual champion

Fort Wayne Mad Ants The Fort Wayne Mad Ants are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and are affiliated with the Indiana Pacers. The team plays their home games at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. The Mad ...

in the semifinals. In 2016, the Skyforce won their first D-League championship, defeating the

Los Angeles D-Fenders LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to: Science and technology * Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation * Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers * Level of significance, a measure of statistical significan ...

2 games to 1. The Skyforce also finished the 2016 season 40–10, the winningest regular season record in D-League history. On June 10, 2013, the

announced that they had entered into a single affiliation partnership with the Skyforce, beginning with the 2013–14 season. The

signature red/yellow color scheme was adopted into the Skyforce's jerseys, logo, and merchandise following this announcement. On June 1, 2017, the Heat purchased a controlling interest in the Skyforce with the Heineman family retaining their minority share. The former ownership group of Bob Correa, Greg Heineman, Roger Larsen and Tom Walsh had purchased the Skyforce from the Kemper Lesnik Organization in May 1993.

Year-by-year record

Head coaches

Current roster

NBA affiliates

(2009–present) *

Charlotte Bobcats Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most popu ...

(2007–2009) *

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

(2006–2007) *

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

(2006–2013) *

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

(2011–2013) *

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...

(2012–2013)

References

External links

Sioux Falls Skyforce official site
{{Dakota Sports Basketball teams established in 1989 Basketball teams in South Dakota Charlotte Bobcats Detroit Pistons Philadelphia 76ers Miami Heat Minnesota Timberwolves Orlando Magic 1989 establishments in South Dakota