Dallas Defenders set to start play thanks to entrepeneur

by Janeane Anderson of Dallas Weekly

Starting tonight, Dallas-area fans of professional basketball will have more to root for than Dirk, Devin, Dampier and the rest of the Dallas Mavericks. This month marks the beginning of play for members of the Premier Basketball League (PBL), a professional developmental basketball league consisting of 10 teams, including the Dallas Defenders.

With a limited number of available positions on NBA teams and dwindling salaries offered to American players on European teams, the PBL seeks to capitalize on the large number of talented, professional-caliber basketball players and keep them in the U.S.

Dallas-area businessman Erin Patton is the owner and general manager of the Dallas Defenders. He says the Defenders franchise represents the realization of a childhood dream and an opportunity to combine his love of basketball and his dedication to community service.

“Sports was in my DNA,” said Patton.

Patton, the youngest of three sons raised by a single mother, says finances were tight during his childhood and it was difficult for he and his brothers to afford professional basketball games because the cost of tickets was prohibitively high.

So when the time became right for a new minor league basketball league, Patton says he capitalized on the opportunity to enter the PBL with his Defenders team. Patton and his team of consultants say they expect the Dallas community to embrace the team because the Defenders fill a void in minor league basketball. Dallas has not had a developmental basketball team since the 1960s Dallas Chapperells.

Patton is no stranger to professional basketball or business. Patton is the president and CEO of The Mastermind Group, a sports and entertainment marketing firm. He is also a former Nike executive who was handpicked by Michael Jordan to launch Nike’s Jordan Brand. He also spearheaded NBA star Stephon Marbury’s Starbury Movement and affordable $14.98 sneaker launch. Patton says he hopes the Dallas Defenders franchise will be an equally successful venture.

Although Patton possess the sports know-how and business acumen to make the Defenders a successful basketball team and business endeavor, he says he couldn’t have make his dream come true without the help of some knowledgeable insiders, including NBA Hall of Famer and two-time Olympian Nancy Lieberman who serves as the team’s consultant.

Considering Patton’s desire for the Dallas Defenders to be a first-rate pro ball team, he says he chose a head coach he was convinced would develop a winning, community-conscious team. Patton said five minutes into his initial conversation with Chuck Davisson, he knew he had found his man.

Chuck Davisson, former assistant coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves and advance scout for the Los Angeles Lakers, said he is going to run the Dallas Defenders operation like any NBA team—anything less defeats the purpose of a development league.

Davisson says his goal is to recruit and prepare players to play in the NBA.

“There will be no difference between us and the NBA, except for the number of zeros at the end of our paychecks,” Davisson said. “This will be like an NBA experience. This will be top-notch basketball.”

“Mark Cuban and I have one thing in common. We are both owners of pro basketball teams. That’s it,” said Patton, referencing his need for additional funding for his basketball franchise.

Patton’s vision for the team, which extended beyond championships and was community-centered in numerous aspects, was attractive to an unlikely sponsor, Equity Bank. Board Member Paul Cohen says Patton’s business model for the Dallas Defenders was so community-oriented that the bank eagerly jumped at the opportunity to help fund the endeavor.

The Dallas Defenders has partnered with DISD, local healthcare providers and grassroots community organizations to meet community needs, including child flu shots, mobile health screenings and child ID cards.

For more information about the Dallas Defenders, visit www.defendershoops.com.