Καπιτάνες

Foundation

The Mexican capital had lacked a competitive basketball team for a decade. In an attempt of reanimating the passion for basketball in Mexico City, a group of investors led by Moisés Cosío, announced the foundation of this new franchise. The group of investors accepted that the situation was challenging but Jordi Funtanet, the director of marketing and communications for the new team said that it was also a very big opportunity. It was the first Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP) team not economically linked to the government and with totally private investment.

The players who were to be brought into this new franchise were to be a solid base from the national team, and more experienced players from abroad.

The first season

The management stated that the team's goal for the season was to qualify for the playoffs with an aim of the semifinal. The head coach for the season was the Spaniard Ramón Díaz, who had previously been involved with the National Team, as an assistant coach. The state of the Gimnasium was improved, including dressing rooms, and the playing surface.

Their first preseason game ended in defeat against an amateur side. Their first official game was played on October 13, and ended in a 90–87 win for the Capitanes, against the Aguacateros de Michoacán. Their first season went well; they won 21 out of their first 30 matches, with an offense commanded by Pedro Meza, Fernando Bénitez, and Emmanuel Ándujar, who all received call-ups to the All Star game in early December, along with head coach Ramón Díaz.

NBA G League

In December 2019, commissioner Adam Silver of the National Basketball Association (NBA) announced Capitanes were joining the NBA G League. The initial plan was starting from the 2020–21 season, the team would play in the G League for five seasons and be the first team outside the United States and Canada. However, due the restrictions in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, the season was postponed and eventually played at a single site in Orlando, Florida, for an abbreviated 2021 season without the Capitanes. The team announced it still planned to join the G League in 2021–22. On May 7, 2021, Nick Lagios was named the team's general manager. Due to the ongoing travel restrictions during the pandemic, the Capitanes were only scheduled to play 12 games in the 2021 G League Showcase Cup with all games in the United States. The team was based in Fort Worth, Texas, for the season so players did not have to cross the border during the restrictions.

On November 5, 2021, the Capitanes defeated the Memphis Hustle 95–90 in their first official G League game. During their inaugural G League season, three of the Capitanes players were called up to NBA teams: Gary Clark to the New Orleans Pelicans, Alfonzo McKinnie to the Chicago Bulls, and Matt Mooney to the New York Knicks. However, the Capitanes finished their shortened season with a 4–8 record, failing to qualify for the Showcase Cup tournament.