Windy City Bulls acquire rights to 12 players in the NBA D-League Expansion Draft
By Windy City Bulls Staff /August 24, 2016
HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL – The Windy City Bulls, the NBA D-League affiliate of the Chicago Bulls announced the acquisition of 12 player rights in the NBA D-League expansion draft held earlier this afternoon. Windy City is one of three expansion teams to join the NBA D-League for the 2016-2017 season, along with the Greensboro Swarm and Long Island Nets.
All returning NBA D-League teams were able to protect the rights to up to ten players from their roster. Windy City was able to select from the remaining pool of unprotected players with no more than two selections from any NBA D-League team.
The complete list of players who were selected by Windy City is as follows:
| Name | POS | College | Pro NBADL Team |
| Wesley Saunders | G/F | Harvard | Austin Spurs |
| Kiwi Gardner | G | Midland College | Santa Cruz Warriors |
| Ralph Sampson III | C | Minnesota | Maine Red Claws |
| Booker Woodfox | G | Creighton | Texas Legends |
| Jerel McNeal | G | Marquette | NAZ/Bakersfield Jam |
| Akeem Richmond | G | East Carolina | Reno Bighorns |
| Casey Prather | G/F | Florida | NAZ/Bakersfield Jam |
| Jon Octeus | G | Purdue | Canton Charge |
| Justin Dentmon | G | Washington | Texas Legends |
| Jamal Jones | F | Texas A&M | Delaware 87ers |
| Xavier Thames | G | San Diego St. | Fort Wayne Mad Ants |
| Ian Chiles | C | Morgan State | SLC/Idaho Stampede |
The selected players comprise Windy City’s 2016-17 returning players list. If the players sign an NBA D-League contract for either of the next two seasons, Windy City will have right of first refusal, giving the Bulls rights to these players for two seasons.
Windy City will tip-off their inaugural season at home on Friday, Nov. 11 against fellow NBA D-League expansion team, the Long Island Nets. The 2016-17 schedule, which was released earlier this week, features 24 home games at the Sears Centre Arena, 16 of which fall on a Friday or Saturday evening.
Entering its 16th season, the NBA D-League has expanded to 22 teams for the 2016-17 campaign. Fans interested in purchasing Windy City Bulls season tickets for the historic inaugural season can visit windycitybulls.com or call 847-396-7070.