Wikis
| 48th | Basketball">Top professional sports leagues: Basketball |
 American Basketball Association logo |
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| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1999 |
| Motto | More than just a game. |
| No. of teams | 55 |
| Country(ies) |  Bahamas (1 team) United States (54 teams) |
| Most recent champion(s) | Kentucky Bisons (1st title) |
| Most championships | Vermont Frost Heaves (2 titles) |
| Official website | www.ABAlive.com |
The American Basketball Association (ABA) OTCBB: ABKB is a professional men's basketball league that was founded in 1999. The current ABA has no affiliation with the original American Basketball Association that merged with the NBA in 1976.
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First beginning play in 2000 with eight teams, the league completed its seventh season in March 2009.
Following its first two seasons, the league suspended operations in 2002-2003 for reorganization. Expansion occurred prior to the 2004-2005 season, with 37 teams eventually playing that year. The 2006-2007 season saw the cost for a new expansion franchise raised to $50,000.[1], many still sell for 5-10k and less in some cases. The ABA also stopped using the term 'franchise' after an OurSportsCentral message board listed the rules for a franchisee and franchise seller. As none of these legal steps were taken (ie Prospectus, names of past and present franchises, rules on what each side can expect from the other) the league started using the term 'Market Reservations' rather than franchise. One notable 2006-2007 expansion franchise was the Vermont Frost Heaves, owned by Sports Illustrated writer Alexander Wolff. Also in 2006-2007, former NBA player John Salley was named league commissioner, and Maryland Nighthawks owner Tom Doyle was named chief operating officer.
Following the league's first public offering in 2006, it was reported that Joe Newman was voted out of his position as league CEO.[2] A form filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in February 2007 claimed the ABA Board of Directors removed Newman as league CEO on January 31, 2007. It went on to state that Newman's actions as league CEO would be reviewed to ensure that they were performed with the Board's permission.[3] The same filing also claimed that Newman and other shareholders plotted to remove Tom Doyle, John Salley, and David Howitt from the Board and elect Paul Riley as its director. Newman denied his removal ever occurred, and continued as acting CEO.[4] The lawsuits were settled in March 2007 with Doyle's and Salley's resignations from the league Board of Directors.
The 2006-2007 season saw many franchises fail to travel to road games or play a full schedule. When a weather problem required a postponement of a playoff game between the defending champion Rochester Razorsharks and the Wilmington Sea Dawgs, instead of letting the two teams reschedule, the league wanted to force Rochester to forfeit. Rochester instead withdrew from the league.[5] This incident, coupled with the CEO v. COO intrigue, caused to some league owners to become frustrated with the instability of the league and separate to form the Premier Basketball League (PBL).
The 2007-2008 season saw nearly twenty teams fold within its first five weeks, and several remaining teams left the ABA to join other existing leagues. According to Our Sports Central, only around 35% of the games were actually played in the 2007/08 season. The teams that played the highest percentage of games were Vermont, Manchester (NH), and Quebec. Those three teams would leave to the PBL at the conclusion of the season.[6][7] Another team that only played home games was Beijing Aoshen Olympic. This team was kicked out of the Chinese Basketball League and played home games in Singapore. Beijing would pay $3000 and fly teams to Singapore for a 2-game homestand. Early teams complained on Our Sports Central that they were forced to stay in a hotel that doubled as a brothel. Joe Newman CEO forced Beijing to find a new hotel on hearing this news. Later teams stayed in a Holiday Inn.
The league's most successful franchise by attendance, the Halifax Rainmen, left the ABA, citing frustration with teams not showing up for games, as well as a biased ranking system. Numerous sportswriters essentially referred to the ABA as a joke, and not to be taken seriously.[8]
The 2008-2009 season saw the league conduct interleague play with the Continental Basketball Association. The 2009-2010 season is scheduled to have 62 teams at play.
Northeast Division
| Team | Location | Arena (Capacity) |
|---|---|---|
| Jersey Express | East Orange, New Jersey | East Orange Campus High School gym |
| Maryland Marvels | Severna Park, Maryland | Severn School gym |
| New York Red Riders | Elmira, New York | Chemung County YMCA |
| NYC Thunder | New York City | Traveling team |
| Tri-City Suns | Temple Hills, Maryland | Progressive Christian Academy gym |
Southeast Division
| Team | Location | Arena (Capacity) |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Vision | Suwanee, Georgia | TBA |
| Bahama All-Pro Show | Deltona, Florida | TBA |
| Charlotte Crossovers | Fort Mill, South Carolina | LifePointe Community Center |
| Columbus Life | Columbus, Georgia | Frank J. Lumpkin Jr. Center (4,500) |
| Florida Thundercats | Leesburg, Florida | Everett A. Kelly Convocation Center |
| Georgia Prowl | McDonough, Georgia | Eagle's Landing High School gym |
| Mississippi Blues | Biloxi, Mississippi | Biloxi High School gym |
| Music City Stars | Nashville, Tennessee | Allen Arena (5,028) |
North Central Division
| Team | Location | Arena (Capacity) |
|---|---|---|
| Akron Rise | Akron, Ohio | Exhibition team for '09-'10, full season in '10-'11 |
| Chicago Steam | South Holland, Illinois | South Suburban College Fieldhouse |
| Cleveland Rockers | Warrensville Heights, Ohio | Multiplex Arena (3,300) |
| Columbus Crush | Columbus, Ohio | New Covenant Believers Church[9] |
| Detroit Hoops | Detroit, Michigan | Detroit Edison Public School Academy |
| Grand Rapids Flight | Caledonia Township, Michigan | Davenport University Student Center |
| Kansas City Stars | Kansas City, Missouri | Municipal Auditorium |
| Lake Michigan Admirals | Benton Harbor/St. Joseph, Michigan | Benton Harbor High School & Lake Michigan Catholic High School gyms |
| Pittsburgh Phantoms | Elizabeth, Pennsylvania | Court Time Sports Center |
| Youngstown Swish | Youngstown, Ohio | Exhibition team for '09-'10, full season in '10-'11 |
South Central Division
| Team | Location | Arena (Capacity) |
|---|---|---|
| Bluegrass Stallions | Lexington, Kentucky | Kentucky Horse Park (6,300) |
| East Kentucky Miners | Pikeville, Kentucky | TBD |
| Kentucky Bisons | Owensboro, Kentucky | Owensboro Sports Center (5,000) |
| Smoky Mountain Jam | Sevierville, Tennessee | Catlettsburg Elementary School gym |
| St. Louis Stunners | St. Louis, Missouri | St. Louis Community College gym (2,500) |
| West Virginia Blazers | Bluefield, West Virginia | Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center & Bluefield State College |
Southwest Division
| Team | Location | Arena (Capacity) |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Generals | Dallas, Texas | Fair Park Coliseum (8,513) |
| Houston Takers | Houston, Texas | John H. Reagan High School Fieldhouse |
| North Texas Fresh | Fort Worth, Texas | Central High School Fieldhouse (3,000) |
| Southeast Texas Mavericks | Beaumont, Texas | Ford Park (Beaumont, TX) (8,500) |
| Texas Fuel | San Antonio, Texas | Alamo Convocation Center |
| West Texas Whirlwinds | Midland, Texas | Carver Center |
NoCal Division
| Team | Location | Arena (Capacity) |
|---|---|---|
| California Sea-Kings | Salinas, California | Hartnell College Fieldhouse |
| Chico Rage | Hamilton City, California | Hamilton Union High School Fieldhouse |
| Clayton Showtime | Clayton, California | Clayton Community Gym |
| Sacramento Heatwave | Folsom, California | Folsom High School |
| Salt Lake City Saints | Salt Lake City, Utah | Lifetime Activities Center |
| San Francisco Rumble | San Francisco, California | Kezar Pavilion |
SoCal Division
| Team | Location | Arena (Capacity) |
|---|---|---|
| California Beach Ballers | Newport Beach, California | TBA |
| Central Valley Dawgs | Lindsay, California | McDermont Field House |
| Compton Cobras | Compton, California | Compton Community College |
| Honolulu Pegasus | Honolulu, Hawaii | TBA |
| Las Vegas Dynasty.[10] | Las Vegas, Nevada | Dula Memorial Community Center |
| Los Angeles Slam | Maywood, California | Maywood Activity Center |
| Riverside Rainmakers | Riverside, California | TBA |
| San Diego Surf | San Diego, California | Cathedral Catholic High School |
Pacific Northwest Division
| Team | Location | Arena (Capacity) |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle Mountaineers | Seattle, Washington | Green River Community College, Big Picture School, Renton High School |
| Seattle Zhen Ghan | Seattle, Washington | TBA |
| Washington Raptors | Lakewood, Washington | Pierce College |
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Score | Location | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-2001 | Detroit Dogs | Chicago Skyliners | 107-91 | Cox Pavilion | |
| 2001-2002 | Kansas City Knights | Southern California Surf | 118-113 | Kemper Arena | |
| 2003-2004 | Long Beach Jam | Kansas City Knights | 126-123 | Walter Pyramid | |
| 2004-2005 | Arkansas RimRockers | Bellevue Blackhawks | 118-103 | Alltel Arena | |
| 2005-2006 | Rochester Razorsharks | SoCal Legends | 117-114 | Blue Cross Arena | |
| 2006-2007 | Vermont Frost Heaves | Texas Tycoons | 143-95 | Barre Auditorium | |
| 2007-2008 | Vermont Frost Heaves | San Diego Wildcats | 87-84 | Pavillon de la Jeunesse | |
| 2008-2009 | Kentucky Bisons | Maywood Buzz | 127-120 | Nashville Municipal Auditorium |
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