Innovative coverage will highlight the tipoff of the inaugural National Basketball Developmental League (NBDL) season on Friday, when the Greenville Groove hosts the North Charleston Lowgators live at 4 p.m. EST in the first of ESPN2’s 18 regular-season telecasts featuring the NBA’s new minor league. The season-long broadcasts are part of a three-year agreement between ESPN and the NBA to bring NBDL coverage to a global audience. All NBDL telecasts will be live and game production will feature ground-breaking access to players and coaches.

ESPN2 will begin weekly coverage in December, and ESPN and ESPN2 will broadcast six playoff games, including all three games of the NBDL Finals. The broadcasts will feature all-access coverage of players and coaches, including live courtside microphones and cameras in the huddles and locker rooms. Coaches will be wired for sound, allowing for conversation with commentators during play.

"This partnership with ESPN means that NBDL players will be seen not only by NBA coaches and scouts, but by a global television and Internet audience as well. This is an historic arrangement for a developmental league," said NBA Commissioner David Stern.

John Saunders and Mark Jones will share play-by-play duties, with Leo Rautins and Quinn Buckner splitting the analyst’s role. Jones and Nancy Lieberman will serve as sideline reporters.

In addition, ESPN2 will feature the North Charleston Lowgators in a 13-episode reality series titled “Down Low: Life in the D League,” which debuts Tuesday, January 22 at midnight EST with a one-hour show. Subsequent episodes will air every Wednesday morning at 12:30 a.m. EST, and offer viewers an unprecedented off-the-court look at the Lowgators’ lives. Cameras will follow head coach Alex English and his players at practice, at home, on the road and behind the scenes.

NBDL games will be featured during a holiday week of ESPN2 broadcasts with five straight days of games. On Christmas Eve, Asheville will face Columbus at 2 p.m. EST, followed by a Christmas Day game between Greenville and Roanoke at 2 p.m. EST. The final game of ESPN2’s five consecutive days of coverage will feature Huntsville vs. North Charleston at 2 p.m. EST on Dec. 28. ESPN2 will also broadcast a special New Year’s Eve game between North Charleston and Mobile at midnight EST (11 p.m. CST) from the Mobile (Ala.) Civic Center.

ESPN 2001-02 NBDL TELEVISION SCHEDULE
DATE	GAME	TIME (local)	NETWORK
Friday, November 16	N. Charleston at Greenville	4:00 PM/ET	ESPN2
Monday, December 24	Asheville at Columbus	2:00 PM/ET	ESPN2
Tuesday, December 25	Greenville at Roanoke	2:00 PM/ET	ESPN2
Wednesday, December 26	Mobile at N. Charleston	2:00 PM/ET	ESPN2
Thursday, December 27	Columbus at Greenville	2:00 PM/ET	ESPN2
Friday, December 28	Huntsville at N. Charleston	2:00 PM/ET	ESPN2
Monday, December 31	N. Charleston at Mobile	11:00 PM/CT	ESPN2
Monday, January 7	Asheville at N. Charleston	4:00 PM/ET	ESPN2
Monday, January 14	N. Charleston at Mobile	3:00 PM/CT	ESPN2
Monday, January 21	N. Charleston at Columbus	4:00 PM/ET	ESPN2
Monday, January 28	N. Charleston at Fayetteville	4:00 PM/ET	ESPN2
Monday, February 4	N. Charleston at Asheville	4:00 PM/ET	ESPN2
Monday, February 11	Roanoke at N. Charleston	4:00 PM/ET	ESPN2
Monday, February 18	N. Charleston at Huntsville	3:00 PM/CT	ESPN2
Monday, February 25	N. Charleston at Greenville	4:00 PM/ET	ESPN2
Monday, March 4	N. Charleston at Roanoke	3:30 PM/ET	ESPN2
Monday, March 11	Greenville at N. Charleston	4:00 PM/ET	ESPN2
Monday, March 18	N. Charleston at Huntsville	3:00 PM/CT	ESPN2