Dakota Wizards now Santa Cruz Warriors

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OAKLAND -- The Dakota Wizards, the Warriors NBA D-League affiliate, will relocate to Santa Cruz beginning with the 2012-13 season and be known as the Santa Cruz Warriors, the Golden State Warriors, the NBA Development League and the City of Santa Cruz announced today.

Were excited to bring the NBA D-League brand of basketball to Santa Cruz and Northern California, said NBA D-League President Dan Reed. The relocation of the team from Bismarck to Santa Cruz further demonstrates the Golden State Warriors commitment to developing top young NBA prospects in the NBA D-League. We thank the fans in Bismarck for their support of the team over the last six NBA D-League seasons.

Santa Cruz will play the 2012-13 NBA D-League season at the to-be-constructed Kaiser Permanente Arena, a temporary basketball facility located in downtown Santa Cruz, the construction of which is a three-pronged effort between the Golden State Warriors, the City of Santa Cruz and the Seaside Company.

We are thrilled to bring the Warriors to Santa Cruz, said Santa Cruz Warriors President Jim Weyermann. This city has a passionate basketball fan base and we are eager to construct an arena that will showcase the team and give the citys fans something to cheer about. We are excited about all of the additional events this building will be able to host and the vitality it will bring to the region. Creating the largest spectator venue on Californias central coast will help us attract events currently bypassing the area and contribute to the economic development of the region.

Of the 11 NBA D-League teams with single affiliations, the Santa Cruz Warriors will be one of five teams that are fully owned and operated by their NBA parent club, joining the Austin Toros (San Antonio Spurs), Canton Charge (Cleveland Cavaliers), Los Angeles D-Fenders (Los Angeles Lakers) and Tulsa 66ers (Oklahoma City Thunder).

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