Fort Wayne Mad Ants

Fort Wayne Mad Ants
League	NBA Development League
Founded	2007
History	Fort Wayne Mad Ants 2007–present
Arena	Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
Location	Fort Wayne, Indiana
Team colors	Crimson, Black, Yellow, White
Head coach	Conner Henry
Ownership	John D. Zeglis
Affiliation(s)	Atlanta Hawks Brooklyn Nets Charlotte Hornets Chicago Bulls Denver Nuggets Indiana Pacers Los Angeles Clippers Milwaukee Bucks Minnesota Timberwolves New Orleans Pelicans Portland Trail Blazers Toronto Raptors Washington Wizards
Championships	1 (2013–14)
Website	www.nba.com/dleague/fortwayne

The Fort Wayne Mad Ants are a team of the NBA Development League, located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum is the home venue for the team. The team is the first minor league basketball franchise to play in Fort Wayne since the Fort Wayne Fury of the Continental Basketball Association. The Mad Ants won their first D-League championship in 2014.

History

The franchise held a name-the-team contest on their website where fans could vote on one of the four finalists: Lightning, Fire, Coyotes, and Mad Ants. The winning name of Mad Ants was announced June 18, 2007, chosen as a salute to the city's and fort's namesake, General "Mad" Anthony Wayne.^[1]

On July 5, 2007, it was announced by the NBA that the Mad Ants would be affiliated with the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers. The Pistons were founded in Fort Wayne by Fred Zollner as the Zollner Pistons, before moving to Detroit in 1957. On September 3, 2008, the Mad Ants announced the Milwaukee Bucks as their third affiliate for the 2008-09 season. The Bucks were previously a parent club for the Tulsa 66ers until Professional Basketball Club, LLC (owner of the Oklahoma City Thunder), purchased the 66ers to be Oklahoma City's exclusive affiliate.^[2] They waived Gage Daye on December 20, 2011.

On July 17, 2012, it was announced by the NBA that the Mad Ants, in addition to their affiliations with the Pistons, Pacers, and Bucks, would also be affiliated with the Charlotte Bobcats beginning with the 2012-13 season.^[3]

On April 19, 2014, the Mad Ants made it through to NBA D-League Finals for the first time with a 126-118 victory over the Sioux Falls Skyforce, winning the second round series 2-0.^[4] On April 26, 2014, the Mad Ants defeated the Santa Cruz Warriors 2 games to 0 to claim the franchise's first D-League title in their history.^[5] After that season, the Mad Ants would have their team affiliation go out to the rest of the NBA's teams that didn't find a new affiliate team after the Phoenix Suns and the Orlando Magic got single affiliation teams with the Bakersfield Jam and the Erie BayHawks respectively and both the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks got their own D-League owned teams created for them.

Season-by-season

Current roster

Affiliates

• Detroit Pistons (2007–14)
• Orlando Magic (2013–14)
• Indiana Pacers (2007–present)
• Milwaukee Bucks (2008–present)
• Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets (2012–present)
• Atlanta Hawks (2014-present)
• Brooklyn Nets (2014-present)
• Chicago Bulls (2014-present)
• Denver Nuggets (2014-present)
• Los Angeles Clippers (2014-present)
• Minnesota Timberwolves (2014-present)
• New Orleans Pelicans (2014-present)
• Portland Trail Blazers (2014-present)
• Toronto Raptors (2014-present)
• Washington Wizards (2014-present)
• 2014-15 teams

In popular culture

• In the television series One Tree Hill episode "You've Dug Your Own Grave, Now Lie In It", James Lafferty's character Nathan Scott receives an offer to coach the team. The episode originally aired September 29, 2008 on The CW Network.^[6]

See also

• History of sports in Fort Wayne, Indiana

References

External links

• Fort Wayne Mad Ants Official Website
• Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
• ABA Jacksonville Giants Player Joins NBA D League Mad Ants

NBA Development League Western Conference Eastern Conference West Division Bakersfield Jam Idaho Stampede Los Angeles D-Fenders Reno Bighorns Santa Cruz Warriors Southwest Division Austin Spurs Oklahoma City Blue Rio Grande Valley Vipers Texas Legends Central Division Fort Wayne Mad Ants Grand Rapids Drive Iowa Energy Sioux Falls Skyforce Atlantic Division Canton Charge Delaware 87ers Erie BayHawks Maine Red Claws Westchester Knicks Category Basketball Portal Seasons Team Rosters Champions

NBA D-League champions 2002: Greenville Groove 2003: Mobile Revelers 2004: Asheville Altitude 2005: Asheville Altitude 2006: Albuquerque Thunderbirds 2007: Dakota Wizards 2008: Idaho Stampede 2009: Colorado 14ers 2010: Rio Grande Valley Vipers 2011: Iowa Energy 2012: Austin Toros 2013: Rio Grande Valley Vipers 2014: Fort Wayne Mad Ants

Atlanta Hawks Formerly the Buffalo Bisons, Tri-Cities Blackhawks, Milwaukee Hawks, and St. Louis Hawks Founded in 1946 Based in Atlanta, Georgia The Franchise Franchise All-Time roster Seasons Head coaches Current season Arenas Buffalo Memorial Auditorium Wharton Field House Milwaukee Arena Kiel Auditorium St. Louis Arena Alexander Memorial Coliseum Omni Coliseum Lakefront Arena Georgia Dome Philips Arena D-League Affiliate Fort Wayne Mad Ants Rivalries Boston Celtics Orlando Magic NBA Championships (1) 1958 Retired Jerseys 9 17 21 23 Lore The Human Highlight Film Pistol Pete Media TV Peachtree TV FS South SportSouth Radio 790 The Zone Announcers Bob Rathbun Dominique Wilkins Steve Holman

Brooklyn Nets Formerly the New Jersey Americans, New York Nets and New Jersey Nets Founded in 1967 Based in Brooklyn, New York Franchise Franchise History All-time roster Draft history Records Head coaches Seasons Current season Arenas Teaneck Armory Long Island Arena Island Garden Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum Rutgers Athletic Center Izod Center Prudential Center Barclays Center Personnel Owners Mikhail Prokhorov (majority owner) Bruce Ratner (minority) President Irina Pavlova General Manager Billy King Head Coach Lionel Hollins General managers Zaslofsky Carnesecca Boe & Quinn DeBusschere Melchionni Theokas MacKinnon Weltman Reed Nash Thorn Stefanski Vandeweghe Thorn King Head coaches Zaslofsky Larese Carnesecca Loughery MacKinnon Brown Blair Albeck Wohl Reed Fitch Daly Beard Calipari Casey Scott Frank Vandeweghe Barrise Johnson Carlesimo Kidd Hollins D-League affiliate Fort Wayne Mad Ants Retired numbers 3 4 5 23 25 32 52 ABA/NBA Finals ABA 1974 1976 NBA 2002 2003 Rivalries New York Knicks Boston Celtics Toronto Raptors Culture and lore Erving for $6 million 1984 playoff upset of 76ers Just Wright BrooklyKnight Marv Albert Media TV WWOR-TV YES Network Radio WFAN Announcers Ian Eagle Mike Fratello Ryan Ruocco Jim Spanarkel Donny Marshall Chris Carrino Tim Capstraw   Seasons (47) 1960s 1967–68 1968–69 1970s 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1980s 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1990s 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 2000s 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2010s 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15

Charlotte Hornets Formerly the Charlotte Bobcats (2004–2014) Founded in 1988 Based in Charlotte, North Carolina Franchise Franchise Seasons 1988 expansion Draft 2004 expansion draft Draft history All-time roster Head coaches Accomplishments Transactions Broadcasters Current season Arenas Charlotte Coliseum Time Warner Cable Arena General Managers Scheer Bass Bower Bickerstaff Higgins Cho D-League Affiliate Fort Wayne Mad Ants Retired Numbers 13 Culture and lore George Shinn 1996 NBA Draft Hugo "Takin' Care of Business" First Flight Administration Owner Michael Jordan President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins General Manager Rich Cho Media TV Fox Sports Carolinas SportSouth Radio WFNZ Announcers Steve Martin Dell Curry Stephanie Ready Scott Lauer Muggsy Bogues

Chicago Bulls Founded in 1966 Based in Chicago, Illinois Franchise Franchise Expansion Draft All-time roster Draft history Seasons Records Broadcasters Head coaches Current season Arenas International Amphitheatre Chicago Stadium United Center Personnel Owner: Jerry Reinsdorf Vice President of Basketball Operations: John Paxson General Manager: Gar Forman Coach: Tom Thibodeau NBA Championships (6) 1991 1992 1993 1996 1997 1998 Conference Championships (6) 1991 1992 1993 1996 1997 1998 Retired numbers 4 10 23 33 Coach General Manager Hall of Famers George Gervin Artis Gilmore Phil Jackson Michael Jordan Robert Parish Scottie Pippen Dennis Rodman Jerry Sloan Nate Thurmond Tex Winter D-League Affiliate Dakota Wizards (2006–2007) Iowa Energy (2007–2014) Fort Wayne Mad Ants (2014–Present) Rivals Miami Heat New York Knicks Detroit Pistons Indiana Pacers Cleveland Cavaliers Milwaukee Bucks Boston Celtics Utah Jazz Los Angeles Lakers Culture and lore The Arrival The Shot 69 Points Air Jordan Jumpman Bad Boys 1991 NBA Finals Tommy Edwards The Shrug Benny the Bull "Sirius" Ray Clay "Jam" 72–10 Space Jam Double Nickel "I Believe I Can Fly" Father's Day Victory Hack-a-Rodman The Flu Game Michael Jordan's last shot The Jordan Rules The Triangle offense Ashland Green/Pink Line Station Tex Winter The Spirit Game 6 of the 2009 NBA Playoffs First Round The Circus Trip "Why can't I be MVP?" "Derrick Rose Rule" Media TV WGN9 (through WGN Sports) WGN America The U (formerly) My50 Comcast SportsNet Chicago CN100 Radio ESPN Chicago Announcers Neil Funk Stacey King Chuck Swirsky Bill Wennington   Seasons (49) 1960s 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1970s 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1980s 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1990s 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 2000s 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2010s 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15

Denver Nuggets Formerly the Denver Rockets Founded in 1967 Based in Denver, Colorado The Franchise Franchise All-Time roster Head coaches Seasons Draft history Current season Arenas Denver Auditorium Arena Denver Coliseum McNichols Sports Arena Pepsi Center Retired Numbers 2 33 40 44 432 D-League Affiliate Fort Wayne Mad Ants Culture Alex English 'Melo Knicks–Nuggets brawl Mt. Mutombo The Hey Song 2009 venue conflict with WWE "Cartman Finds Love" (South Park) Media TV Altitude Sports Radio KDCO and KKFN Announcers Chris Marlowe Scott Hastings Jerry Schemmel

Indiana Pacers Founded in 1967 Based in Indianapolis, Indiana The Franchise Franchise Team history All-Time roster Seasons Head coaches Current season Arenas Indiana State Fair Coliseum Market Square Arena Bankers Life Fieldhouse General Managers Storen Weissert Leonard Vertlieb Salyers Walsh Kahn Morway Pritchard D-League Affiliate Fort Wayne Mad Ants Administration Herb Simon (Owner, Chairman and CEO) Larry Bird (President) Kevin Pritchard (GM) Frank Vogel (Head Coach) Retired Numbers 30 31 34 35 529 (in honor of Leonard's total wins as Pacers coach) ABA Titles League 1970 1972 1973 Conference 1969 1970 1972 1973 1975 Division 1969 1970 1971 NBA Titles Conference 2000 Division 1995 1999 2000 2004 2013 2014 Mascot Dancing Harry Boomer Culture and lore Pacers–Pistons brawl Rivals Chicago Bulls New York Knicks Miami Heat Media TV Fox Sports Indiana Radio WFNI-AM Announcers Chris Denari Quinn Buckner Clark Kellogg Brooke Olzendam Mark Boyle Bob "Slick" Leonard

Los Angeles Clippers Formerly the Buffalo Braves and the San Diego Clippers Founded in 1970 Based in Los Angeles, California The Franchise Franchise Expansion Draft Seasons Draft history Head coaches Broadcasters Current season Arenas Buffalo Memorial Auditorium Maple Leaf Gardens San Diego Sports Arena Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim Staples Center General Managers Donovan Sonju Scheer Baylor Dunleavy Olshey Sacks Wohl D-League affiliate Fort Wayne Mad Ants Administration Steve Ballmer (Owner) Gillian Zucker (President of Business Operations) Doc Rivers (President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach) Kevin Eastman (Vice President for Basketball Operations) Dave Wohl (General Manager) Pacific Division Championships 2013 2014 Culture and lore Clipper Darrell Clipper Nation Buffalo Braves Lob City Billy Crystal Donald Sterling Rivals Los Angeles Lakers Media TV Prime Ticket Radio KFWB KWKW (Spanish) Announcers Ralph Lawler Mike Smith Brian Sieman Celso Gaspar (Spanish)

Milwaukee Bucks Founded in 1968 Based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin The Franchise Franchise Expansion Draft All-time roster Seasons Head coaches Current season Arenas MECCA Arena BMO Harris Bradley Center General Managers Erickson Embry Nelson D. Harris Dunleavy Weinhauer Grunfeld L. Harris Hammond D-League Affiliate Fort Wayne Mad Ants Administration Owner Wesley Edens & Marc Lasry General Manager John Hammond Head Coach Jason Kidd Retired Numbers 1 2 4 14 16 32 33 Hall of Famers Lew Alcindor Nate Archibald Dave Cowens Wayne Embry Alex English Bob Lanier Moses Malone Oscar Robertson NBA Championships (1) 1971 Mascot Bango Media TV Fox Sports Wisconsin Radio WTMJ-AM Announcers Jim Paschke Jon McGlocklin Ted Davis Dennis Krause

Minnesota Timberwolves Founded in 1989 Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota The franchise Franchise Expansion Draft All-Time roster Seasons Broadcasters Draft history Head coaches Current season Arenas Metrodome Target Center General managers McKinney McCloskey Saunders McHale Kahn Saunders D-League affiliate Fort Wayne Mad Ants Administration Owner Glen Taylor General Manager Milt Newton Head Coach Flip Saunders Divisional titles (1) 2004 Culture and lore Crunch the Wolf Failed move to New Orleans Joe Somebody Retired numbers 2

New Orleans Pelicans Formerly the New Orleans Hornets and the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets Founded in 2002 Based in New Orleans, Louisiana The Franchise Franchise Team history Seasons Draft history All-Time roster Head coaches Broadcasters Current season Arenas Smoothie King Center Pete Maravich Assembly Center Ford Center Lloyd Noble Center General Managers Bower Bass Bristow Bower Demps Retired Numbers 7 Culture and lore Hugo Hurricane Katrina and Oklahoma City CP3 D-League Affiliate Fort Wayne Mad Ants

Portland Trail Blazers Founded in 1970 Based in Portland, Oregon 1976–77 NBA Champions The Franchise Franchise All-Time Roster History Expansion Draft Draft history Accomplishments Head coaches Seasons Current season Arenas Memorial Coliseum (1970–1995) Moda Center (1995–present) General Managers Glickman Inman Spoelstra Petrie Whitsitt Nash Patterson Leiweke Pritchard Cho Buchanan Olshey President Sarkowsky Weinberg Whitsitt Glickman Patterson Leiweke Miller McGowan D-League Affiliate Fort Worth Flyers (2005–06) Anaheim Arsenal (2006–07) Idaho Stampede (2007–2014) Fort Wayne Mad Ants (2014–Present) Administration Owner Paul Allen General Manager Neil Olshey Head Coach Terry Stotts List of executives Retired Numbers 1 13 14 15 20 22 30 (Gross) 30 (Porter) 32 36 45 77 Hall of Famers Clyde Drexler Dražen Petrović Scottie Pippen Jack Ramsay Arvydas Sabonis Bill Walton Lenny Wilkens Culture Blazermania Rip City "Duck" Memorial Coliseum Larry Weinberg Bill Walton Jack Ramsay Clyde the Glide The Schonz Memorial Day Miracle Blaze the Trail Cat Portland Indians Portland Fire Media TV KGW Comcast SportsNet Northwest Radio KPOJ Trail Blazers Radio Network Announcers Mike Barrett Mike Rice Bill Schonely Brian Wheeler Antonio Harvey

Toronto Raptors Founded in 1995 Based in Toronto, Ontario The franchise Franchise Expansion Draft All-Time roster Seasons Records Draft history Head coaches Broadcasters Current season Arenas SkyDome Maple Leaf Gardens Copps Coliseum Air Canada Centre General managers Thomas Grunwald Babcock Colangelo Ujiri D-League affiliate Fort Wayne Mad Ants Rivalries Brooklyn Nets New York Knicks Administration Owner: Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment President & GM: Masai Ujiri Head coach: Dwane Casey Division titles (2) 2006–07 2013–14 Culture and lore The Raptor 2001 Playoffs, Game 7 Naismith Cup Toronto Huskies Drake Media TV NBA TV TSN TSN2 Sportsnet Sportsnet One Radio Sportsnet 590 Announcers Matt Devlin Leo Rautins Jack Armstrong Sherman Hamilton Paul Jones Eric Smith

Washington Wizards Formerly the Chicago Packers, the Chicago Zephyrs, the Baltimore Bullets, the Capital Bullets, and the Washington Bullets Founded in 1961 Based in Washington, D.C. The Franchise Franchise Expansion Draft Head coaches Seasons Current season Arenas International Amphitheatre Chicago Coliseum Baltimore Civic Center Cole Field House Capital Centre/US Airways Arena Verizon Center General Managers Ferry Nash Unseld Grunfeld D-League Affiliate Fort Wayne Mad Ants Administration Ted Leonsis (Owner) Ernie Grunfeld (President & GM of Basketball Ops.) Randy Wittman (Head Coach) Retired Numbers 10 11 25 41 NBA Championships (1) 1978 Culture and lore Wes Unseld 1975 championship upset It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings The Big E Abe Pollin Washington Bullets Earl the Pearl The Phone Booth Agent Zero Robin Ficker Media TV WDCW Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic The Comcast Network Radio WJFK-FM Announcers Steve Buckhantz Phil Chenier Dave Johnson Glenn Consor

Sports teams based in Indiana Baseball IL Indianapolis Indians ML Fort Wayne TinCaps South Bend Cubs AA Gary SouthShore RailCats FL Evansville Otters PL Richmond RiverRats Terre Haute Rex KIT League Dubois County Bombers Basketball NBA Indiana Pacers WNBA Indiana Fever D-League Fort Wayne Mad Ants IBA Gary Splash PBL Indiana Diesels Football NFL Indianapolis Colts CIF Gary Dawgs WFA Indy Crash Hockey ECHL Evansville IceMen Fort Wayne Komets Indy Fuel USHL Indiana Ice Roller derby WFTDA Bleeding Heartland Rollergirls Circle City Derby Girls Cornfed Derby Dames Demolition City Roller Derby Fort Wayne Derby Girls Naptown Roller Girls Soccer NASL Indy Eleven W-League F.C. Indiana College athletics (Division I) Ball State Cardinals Butler Bulldogs Evansville Purple Aces Indiana Hoosiers Indiana State Sycamores IPFW Mastodons IUPUI Jaguars Notre Dame Fighting Irish Purdue Boilermakers Valparaiso Crusaders College athletics (Division II) Indianapolis Greyhounds St. Joseph's Pumas Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles Oakland City University Mighty Oaks Ultimate AUDL Indianapolis AlleyCats (2012)

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