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The Global Basketball Association (GBA) was a professional basketball minor league based in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. The majority of the league's franchises were based in the
Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...
, with the remaining teams located in the Midwest. The league announced plans for franchises in European cities that never materialized. The league began play in 1991 and lasted one and a half seasons before folding in December 1992.


History

When the league was announced in 1991, league officials said there would be franchises around the world, hence the name "Global Basketball Association" (GBA). The league was owned and founded by
Ted Stepien Theodore J. Stepien (June 9, 1925 – September 10, 2007) was an American businessman who owned the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1980 to 1983. Born in Pittsburgh in 1925, he became wealthy as the founder ...
, the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers from 1980 to 1983. Two international teams were announced:
Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...
,
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
(now
Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
) and
San Marino San Marino (, ), officially the Republic of San Marino ( it, Repubblica di San Marino; ), also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino ( it, Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, links=no), is the fifth-smallest country in the world an ...
. The team from the Soviet Union was
KK Kalev Kalev (also known as Tallinn Kalev, Korvpalliklubi Kalev) was a professional basketball club from Tallinn, Estonia what was back then part of Soviet Union. The team played in the Estonian Basketball League (Korvpalli Meistriliiga) and in the So ...
, which was a professional basketball team founded in 1920. The four American teams announced were
Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte, North Car ...
;
Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southe ...
;
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...
and Greenville, South Carolina.
Vilvoorde Vilvoorde (, french: Vilvorde ; historically known as ''Filford'' in English) is a Belgian municipality in the Flemish province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the city of Vilvoorde proper with its two outlying quarters of Koningslo ...
,
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
and Évry,
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
were later awarded GBA franchises. Mike Storen, who served as commissioner of the American Basketball Association from 1973 to 1975, was named commissioner of the GBA. The league announced a 64-game schedule in from November 1991 to March 1992, followed by a playoff for the league championship. To distinguish itself from other basketball leagues, the GBA used a white basketball, which was manufactured by
MacGregor MacGregor or Macgregor may refer to: People * MacGregor (surname) * MacGregor (filmmaker), a Spanish commercial cinematographer and film director * Clan Gregor, a Scottish clan * Macgregor baronets, related individuals including a British Army Br ...
. In May 1991, the GBA awarded a charter franchise to
Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in ...
. The GBA merged Pro Basketball USA, another fledgling basketball minor league, in August 1991. The GBA adopted six of Pro Basketball USA's franchises: the Albany Sharp Shooters, the Louisville Shooters, the Memphis HotShots, the Fayetteville Flyers, the
Mid-Michigan Great Lakers The Global Basketball Association (GBA) was a professional basketball minor league based in the United States. The majority of the league's franchises were based in the Southern United States, with the remaining teams located in the Midwest. The ...
and the
Wichita Outlaws The Global Basketball Association (GBA) was a professional basketball minor league based in the United States. The majority of the league's franchises were based in the Southern United States, with the remaining teams located in the Midwest. The ...
. The GBA draft was held on August 3, 1991 in Atlanta, Georgia. It was broken-up into three rounds. The first found was the territorial round where teams were limited to selecting players within a 100-mile radius. In the second round, teams could only draft free agents. The third and final round was the collegiate draft, where teams could pick players from colleges across the United States. The Greensboro City Gaters selected Keith Gatlin with the first overall pick in the draft. By the start of the 1991–92 season in November 1991, the GBA only had franchises based in the United States. League officials said the international teams would begin play in the 1992–93 season. The Mid-Michigan Great Lakers let people attend the first few games for free, which attracted around 3,000 attendees per game. When the Great Lakers started charging for tickets, the team averaged 200 attendees. The Music City Jammers were last in attendance, averaging 300 people per game. They played a game on February 2, 1992 at the 11,000 seat
Nashville Municipal Auditorium The Nashville Municipal Auditorium is an indoor sports and concert venue in Nashville, Tennessee. It opened October 7, 1962 with both an arena and exhibition hall. The former exhibition hall has been permanent home to the Musicians Hall of Fame ...
, which had a total attendance (including the players, referees and statisticians) of 136. The Louisville Shooters in October 1991 announced plans for a $125,000 to $175,000
marketing campaign Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to empha ...
to advertise the GBA's inaugural season. The firm Bridgemon, James & Shawver Advertising Inc.—who also worked on marketing for the
Louisville Redbirds Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...
professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...
team—was contracted to run the campaign which consisted of newspaper ads, television and radio ads and a 30-minute infomercial on
WAVE (TV) WAVE (channel 3) is a television station in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Gray Television. The station's studios are located on South Floyd Street in downtown Louisville, and its transmitter is located i ...
. By February 1992, team owner Jim Tilton told ''Business First-Louisville'' the Shooters were facing "a pretty heavy loss" and he was seeking a new line of credit to keep the team afloat. The team had sold 150 season tickets and were averaging 2,250 attendees per game. A deal to sell the Shooters to an ownership group led by David Gleason fell through. By mid-March 1992, the Shooters had their telephone service shut off for failed payment. On March 31, 1992, the office furniture at the team's headquarters was repossessed. The team also had to forfeit their first round playoff series against the Mid-Michigan Great Lakers due to failure to pay rent on their home venue,
Louisville Gardens Louisville Gardens is a multi-purpose, 6,000-seat arena, in Louisville, Kentucky, that opened in 1905, as the Jefferson County Armory. It celebrated its 100th anniversary as former city mayor Jerry Abramson's official "Family-Friendly New Years ...
. As of April 1992, the Shooters owed $23,000 in back rent to the Louisville Gardens owners. After the 1991–92 season, GBA commissioner Mike Storen announced he was stepping away from the league to focus on his
sports marketing Sports marketing as a concept has established itself as a branch of marketing over the past few decades, however, a generally accepted definition does not exist. Academicians Kaser and Oelkers (2005, p. 9) define sports marketing as 'using spor ...
business. David Gleason, who attempted to purchase the Louisville Shooters in February 1992, eventually purchased the franchise from Jim Tilton. Gleason said the purchase did not include the legal obligation for $300,000 in outstanding debts owed by Tilton, however, Gleason still had to pay the debts as he wanted his debtors services. He had to settle his account with Bridgemon, James & Shawver Advertising Inc. before they would agree to continue working for the team. When they did settle the debt, the advertising firm only agreed to work on an hourly rate and would no longer let debts accrue. Gleason came to an agreement that let him continue to use Louisville Gardens as the team's home venue. The Shooters folded after three games into the 1992–93 season. The league itself disbanded in December 1992.


Teams

:''→ denotes that a team was relocated and/or renamed, (YEAR) denotes team never played'' * Albany Sharp Shooters (1991–92) → SouthGA Blues (1992) *
Cedar Rapids Sharpshooters The Global Basketball Association (GBA) was a professional basketball minor league based in the United States. The majority of the league's franchises were based in the Southern United States, with the remaining teams located in the Midwest. The le ...
(1992) *'' Évry, France (1991)'' * Fayetteville Flyers (1991–92) *''Greensboro Triad (1991)''Greensboro City Gaters (1991–92) *
Greenville Spinners The Greenville Spinners was a primary name of the minor league baseball teams located in Greenville, South Carolina between 1907 and 1962. Greenville teams played as members of the South Carolina League in 1907, Carolina Association (1908–191 ...
(1991–92) * Huntsville Lasers (1991–92) *'' Kalev Tallinn (1991)'' * Louisville Shooters (1991–92) * Memphis HotShots (1991–92) →
Pensacola HotShots The Global Basketball Association (GBA) was a professional basketball minor league based in the United States. The majority of the league's franchises were based in the Southern United States, with the remaining teams located in the Midwest. The ...
(1992) *
Mid-Michigan Great Lakers The Global Basketball Association (GBA) was a professional basketball minor league based in the United States. The majority of the league's franchises were based in the Southern United States, with the remaining teams located in the Midwest. The ...
(1991–92) * Mississippi Coast Sharks (1992) * Music City Jammers (1991–92) → Jackson Jammers (1992) * Raleigh Bullfrogs (1991–92) *''
San Marino San Marino (, ), officially the Republic of San Marino ( it, Repubblica di San Marino; ), also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino ( it, Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, links=no), is the fifth-smallest country in the world an ...
(1991)'' *''
Vilvoorde Vilvoorde (, french: Vilvorde ; historically known as ''Filford'' in English) is a Belgian municipality in the Flemish province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the city of Vilvoorde proper with its two outlying quarters of Koningslo ...
,
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
(1992)'' *
Wichita Outlaws The Global Basketball Association (GBA) was a professional basketball minor league based in the United States. The majority of the league's franchises were based in the Southern United States, with the remaining teams located in the Midwest. The ...
(1991–92)


Venues and locations


Season standings


1991–92 season


1991–92 playoffs

;Bracket ;Finals game-by-game results *Greenville 128, Music City 126 *Music City 100, Greenville 94 *Greenville 114, Music City 103 *Music City 103, Greenville 101 *Music City 103, Greenville 100 *Music City 106, Greenville 104


1992–93 season

:''Note: Louisville disbanded after three games, the GBA disbanded in December 1992''


Award winners

*GBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player **
Lloyd Daniels Lloyd Daniels (born September 4, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player who played parts of five seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Early life The shooting guard was one of the most sought-after recruit ...
, Greensboro City Gaters *GBA All-League Team, 1991–92 ** John Crotty, Greenville Spinners ** Reggie Fox, Mid-Michigan Great Lakers ** Willie McDuffie, Greenville Spinners ** Danny Pearson, Greenville Spinners **
Lloyd Daniels Lloyd Daniels (born September 4, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player who played parts of five seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Early life The shooting guard was one of the most sought-after recruit ...
, Greensboro City Gaters **
Mike Ratliff Michael D. Ratliff (born June 7, 1951) was an American former basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played with the Kansas City-Omaha Kings. Ratliff attended William Horlick High School in Racine, Wisconsin Racine ...
, Huntsville Lasers **
Joey Wright Joey Glenn Wright (born September 4, 1968) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He has been the head coach of three teams in the Australian National Basketball League: the Brisbane Bullets, which won an NBL championsh ...
, Memphis/Pensacola HotShots **
Alfredrick Hughes Alfredrick Hughes (born July 19, 1962) is a retired American professional basketball player who was selected by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round (14th pick overall) in the 1985 NBA draft. Loyola career After graduating from Chicago's Rob ...
, Louisville Shooters ** Jerome Harmon, Louisville Shooters *GBA All-Defensive Team, 1991–92 ** David Harris, Huntsville Lasers ** Sean Gay, Greensboro City Gaters ** James Martin, Fayetteville Flyers ** Paris McCurdy, Mid-Michigan Great Lakers ** Lorenzo Williams, Fayetteville Flyers


References

{{reflist Sports leagues established in 1991 Organizations disestablished in 1992 Defunct basketball leagues in the United States 1991 establishments in the United States 1992 disestablishments in the United States