Sioux Falls Skyforce – Wikipedia

Posted on by

American professional basketball team of the NBA G League

The Sioux Falls Skyforce is an American professional basketball team that plays in the NBA G League. They are based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and currently play at Heritage Court in the Sanford Pentagon, a place they have called home since the 2013–14 season. The Skyforce are an affiliate of the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association. The Sioux Falls Skyforce is the longest running minor league basketball team in the United States.[4]

The Skyforce began in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) in 1989. They played their home games at Sioux Falls Arena 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 three games to one).

History[edit]

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”.[5]

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. 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 in the semifinals. In 2016, the Skyforce won their first D-League championship, defeating the Los Angeles D-Fenders 2 games to 1. The Skyforce also finished the 2016 season 40–10, the winningest regular season record in D-League history.[6]

On June 10, 2013, the Miami Heat announced that they had entered into a single affiliation partnership with the Skyforce, beginning with the 2013–14 season.[7] The Miami Heat 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.[8] 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.[9]

Year-by-year record[edit]

Season League Conference Division Finish Wins Losses Pct. Postseason results
Sioux Falls Skyforce
1989–90 CBA National Midwest 3rd 20 36 .357
1990–91 CBA American Midwest 3rd 26 30 .464
1991–92 CBA National Northern 4th 24 32 .429
1992–93 CBA National Midwest 3rd 26 30 .464
1993–94 CBA National Midwest 3rd 24 32 .429
1994–95 CBA National Western 2nd 34 22 .607 Lost First Round (Omaha) 1–2
1995–96 CBA National Northern 1st 32 24 .571 Won First Round (Oklahoma City) 3–1
Won Conf. Championship (Florida) 3–2
Won CBA Championship (Fort Wayne) 3–2
1996–97 CBA National 1st 47 9 .839 Lost First Round (Omaha) 2–3
1997–98 CBA National 2nd 31 25 .554 Won Semifinals (Yakima) 3–2
Won Conf. Championship (Fort Wayne) 3–0
Lost CBA Championship (Quad City) 3–4
1998–99 CBA National 1st 32 24 .571 Won First Round (Idaho) 3–2
Won Conf. Championship (Quad City) 3–2
Lost CBA Championship (Connecticut) 1–4
1999–00 CBA National 3rd 30 26 .536 Won First Round (Connecticut) 109–90
Lost Semifinals (La Crosse) 90–99
2000–01[a] CBA National 5th 8 15 .348
2000–01 IBL Western 3rd 16 14 .533 Lost First Round (Rockford) 91–111
2001–02 CBA American 2nd 33 23 .589 Lost Semifinals (Rockford) 1–3
2002–03 CBA National 4th 17 31 .354
2003–04 CBA 5th 23 25 .479
2004–05 CBA Western 2nd 31 17 .646 Won Semifinals (Dakota) 3–2
Won CBA Championship (Rockford) 3–1
2005–06 CBA Western 2nd 30 18 .625 Lost round-robin tournament 0–2
2006–07 D-League Eastern 2nd 30 20 .600 Won Division Semifinals (Fort Worth) 128–105
Lost Division Finals (Dakota) 113–115
2007–08 D-League Central 2nd 28 22 .560 Won First Round (Dakota) 101–89
Lost Semifinals (Austin) 93–99
2008–09 D-League Central 4th 25 25 .500
2009–10 D-League Eastern 2nd 32 18 .640 Lost First Round (Tulsa) 1–2
2010–11 D-League Eastern 7th 10 40 .200
2011–12 D-League Eastern 7th 15 35 .292
2012–13 D-League Central 4th 25 25 .500
2013–14 D-League Central 2nd 31 19 .620 Won First Round (Canton) 2–1
Lost Semifinals (Fort Wayne) 0–2
2014–15 D-League Eastern Central 1st 29 21 .580 Lost First Round (Canton) 1–2
2015–16 D-League Eastern Central 1st 40 10 .800 Won Quarterfinals (Westchester) 2–0
Won Semifinals(Canton) 2–0
Won D-League Championship (Los Angeles) 2–1
2016–17 D-League Western Southwest 3rd 29 21 .580
2017–18 G League Western Midwest 2nd 25 25 .500
2018–19 G League Western Midwest 3rd 24 26 .480
2019–20 G League Western Midwest 2nd 22 20 .524 Season cancelled by COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 G League Opted out of single-site season
2021–22 G League Western – 12th 14 21 .400
Regular season 863 754 .534 1989–2022
Playoffs 48 43 .527 1989–2022
  1. ^ The CBA folded in the middle of the 2000–01 season.

Head coaches[edit]

Current roster[edit]

Players Coaches
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • (P) Prospects
  • (NBA) On assignment from NBA affiliate
  • (TW) Two-way affiliate player
  • Injured Injured

Roster
Last transaction: April 25, 2022

NBA affiliates[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ “Staff Directory”. SiouxFalls.GLeague.NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  2. ^ “Sioux Falls Skyforce Reproduction Guideline Sheet”. NBA Properties, Inc. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  3. ^ “Miami Heat Promote Kasib Powell to Head Coach of the Sioux Falls Skyforce”. OurSports Central. September 16, 2021.
  4. ^ “Sioux Falls Skyforce: A 30-Year Basketball Legacy | 605 Magazine”. October 2018.
  5. ^ “Sports Digest”. United Press International. May 17, 1989.
  6. ^ Kotloff, Brian (April 29, 2016). “2016 NBA Development League Champions, Sioux Falls Skyforce”. SiouxFalls.GLeague.NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  7. ^ “Miami HEAT Enter Into Single Affiliation Partnership With NBA Development League”.
  8. ^ “Miami Heat purchase controlling interest of Skyforce, keep Heinemans as chief business operators”. KWSN. June 1, 2017.
  9. ^ “Team History”. SiouxFalls.GLeague.NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Retrieved November 14, 2019.

External links[edit]