Albuquerque Thunderbirds
Founded	2001
History	Huntsville Flight 2001-2005 Albuquerque Thunderbirds 2005-Present
Arena	Tingley Coliseum
City	Albuquerque, New Mexico
Team Colors	Orange and Black
Head Coach	Jeff Ruland
Owner	David Kahn Southwest Basketball, LLC
Championships	1 (2006)
Division Titles	1 (2006)
Affiliations	Dallas Mavericks Miami Heat

The Albuquerque Thunderbirds is the name of an NBA Development League minor league basketball team based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Their NBA affiliates are the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami 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 in 2001 as a founding member of the NBDL, the affiliate minor league of the NBA. The team ended its tenure in Alabama 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 in Albuquerque. 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.

Season-By-Season

Huntsville Flight

Albuquerque Thunderbirds

Players of note

Basketball Hall of Famers:

Not to be forgotten:

• Yuta Tabuse

Current Roster

Albuquerque Thunderbirds Current Roster
Head Coach: Jeff Ruland
Associate Head Coach: John Coffino
Athletic Trainer: Mark Shires
23	F	6'8		Moussa Koné	(Miami Heat)
17	G	6'5		Miguel "Ali" Berdiel	(Valparaiso)
22	F	6'7		Ramon Dyer	(Houston)
7	F	6'6		Josh Gross	(UNC Greensboro)
11	F	6'7		Darvin Ham	(Texas Tech)
18	G	6'3		Daniel Horton	(Michigan)
14	G	6'1		Elijah Ingram	(New Mexico State)
24	G	6'3		Abdul Mills	(Nebraska-Omaha)
34	C	7'0		James Smith	(Marist)
32	F	6'9		Ejike Ugboaja	(Nigeria)
00	G	6'1		DJ Strawberry	(University of Maryland)

Players eligible for affiliation

Phoenix Suns:

• D.J. Strawberry
• Alando Tucker

Philadelphia 76ers:

• Herbert Hill
• Jason Smith
• Thaddeus Young

External links

• Albuquerque Thunderbirds Homepage
• Official NBA Development League website

v • d • e Sports teams based in New Mexico Baseball PCL: Albuquerque Isotopes Basketball D-League: Albuquerque Thunderbirds · ABA: Gallup Talons Football AIFA: New Mexico Wildcats · IWFL: New Mexico Menace · WPFL: New Mexico Burn Hockey CHL: New Mexico Scorpions Soccer NPSL: Albuquerque Asylum College athletics (NCAA Division I) New Mexico · New Mexico State

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