The Jacksonville Giants are a professional
minor league basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
team based in
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...
. They were the 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021 National Champions of the new
American Basketball Association (ABA), which they joined as an
expansion team for the 2010–2011 season. They play most home games at
VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena (originally Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena) is a multi-purpose arena located in Jacksonville, Florida. It currently serves as the home arena of the Jacksonville Icemen of the ECHL, the Jacksonville Giants o ...
. In addition to their six national championships, the Giants won regional titles in 2011, 2012, and 2013. In 2014, the team was recognized for their off-the-court achievements with the ABA National Charity Award for their work in the Jacksonville community.
History
In May 2010 the
American Basketball Association announced a new franchise based in
Jacksonville
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...
would join the league for the 2010–2011 season. The name was announced as the Jacksonville Giants in November. The owner was Jacksonville attorney Ron Sholes, while the head coach and general manager was Kevin Waters, who previously owned and coached the
Jacksonville Bluewaves of the
World Basketball Association
The World Basketball Association (WBA) was a semi-professional men's spring basketball league 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 Con ...
.
Jacksonville was home to an earlier ABA team, the
Jacksonville Jam. The Jam played in the ABA for the 2006–2007 season before moving to the rival
Premier Basketball League
The Premier Basketball League, often abbreviated to the PBL, is an American professional men's basketball minor league that began play in January 2008. The league folded after the 2017 season. It was announced that the league would be revived un ...
in 2008, but folded by the end of the season.
[
]
2010–2011
In 2010 owner Sholes stated that he hoped to avoid the fate of the Jam and other minor league basketball teams that have failed in Jacksonville with a more professional marketing strategy. He signed a contract with the city's major indoor venue, the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena (originally Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena) is a multi-purpose arena located in Jacksonville, Florida. It currently serves as the home arena of the Jacksonville Icemen of the ECHL, the Jacksonville Giants o ...
, to use for home games, and contracted with television and radio stations to broadcast games.[ The Giants debuted on December 4, 2010, defeating the San Francisco Rumble 182–124. They excelled on the court, going 23–0 in the regular season and advancing to the league playoffs, but were ultimately knocked out.] They claimed an average attendance of 2000 in their inaugural season.
2011–2012
The Giants had their 2011–2012 opener on December 3, 2011, defeating the Gulf Coast Flash by 1 point on a buzzer beating 3-pointer by Shooting Guard Currye Todd on an inbound pass from former National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
player and 1992 US Dream Teamer Christian Laettner
Christian Donald Laettner (, ; born August 17, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player. His college career for the Duke Blue Devils is widely regarded as one of the best in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) hi ...
. Laettner joined the Giants for all 11 of their home games that season. The Giants played two home games at UNF Arena
UNF Arena is a multi-purpose arena located on the campus of the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida. It is home to the North Florida Ospreys men's and women's basketball and women's volleyball teams. It is also used for other eve ...
at the University of North Florida
The University of North Florida (UNF) is a public research university in Jacksonville, Florida. It is part of the State University System of Florida and is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Sc ...
, and played the remaining nine at the Veterans Memorial Arena. The Giants won the 2012 ABA Championship, defeating the South Carolina Warriors 2–0 in a best-of-three series.
2012–2013
Giants finished the season with a 29–1 regular season record and hosted the ABA Final Four tournament. Giants won second ABA Championship in a row, defeating the North Dallas Vandals, from whom they received their only loss of the regular season, 2–0 in a best-of-three series.
2013–2014
Giants finish season with 29–1 record for the second straight season and advanced through the playoffs to the ABA National Championship game for the third straight season. The Giants fell to the Shreveport-Bossier Mavericks
The Shreveport Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Shreveport, Louisiana that plays in The Basketball League (TBL).
History Rio Grande Valley/Southeast Texas (2006-2011)
Originally known as the Rio Grande Valley Silverados, the ...
2–0 in a best-of-three series. The first game was lost in overtime and the second was lost on a botched inbound attempt that sealed the game for the Mavericks. The 2013–2014 season saw a lot of positives for the Giants as they broke the ABA Regular Season Attendance record with 8,345 fans in attendance on February 2.
2017–2018
Finishing the season with a 19–1 record the Giants head to the ABA Final Eight in Austin, TX. In Austin, TX the Jacksonville Giants go 3-0 defeating the Steel City Yellow Jackets (125-103), the DMV Warriors (111-102) and the Austin Bats (119-114) to claim the 2018 ABA National Championship title. With this title the Jacksonville Giants complete the three-peat making this their third championship in a row and their fifth overall championship for the city of Jacksonville.
2018–2019
The Jacksonville Giants finish the regular season with a 20–1 record and head to the ABA Final 8 in St. Louis, MO. The Giants take a 129–98 win over the Steel City Yellow Jackets in the first round of playoffs and advance to the semifinals. In the semifinals the Giants take on the Syracuse Stallions and are able to pull off a 149–129 win which advanced them to the 2019 ABA National Championship game. In the championship the Jacksonville Giants get a rematch with the South Florida Gold, the only team to defeat the Jacksonville Giants in the regular season. In the regular season the Gold took down the Giants with only a 5-point lead. In the title game the Jacksonville Giants were able to redeem themselves with a 116–112 win over the South Florida Gold to claim the 2019 title. The 2019 National Championship win makes it the 6th overall title for the Giants and the 4th in a row.
2019–2020
The 2019–2020 season marks the 10th Anniversary of the Jacksonville Giants conception.
Giants Dance Team
The Jacksonville Giants have the largest ABA dance team. Over 40 girls, ages 13 through 25, dance on two separate teams. The junior (or teenage) dance team is titled the Jacksonville Gems, while the adult dance team is called the Jacksonville Jewels.
Television
All Jacksonville Giants home games played in the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena are televised on CW17 in high-definition. Broadcaster and sports talk radio host Richard Miller formerly hosted the Giants broadcasts starting during Season One in 2010. Arley Johnson and Matt Potak are now featured on the broadcast of the Jacksonville Giants home games.
Radio
All Jacksonville Giants home games air on WJXL 1010XL. Spencer Luthin (aka Spencer "Balls" Davis) has hosted Giants radio since December 6, 2013.
Records and recognition
February 7, 2014 – Most Points Scored in Basketball History – 222 points
February 5, 2012 – Most Points Scored in Basketball History – 211 points
February 1, 2014 – Highest Regular Season Attendance in ABA History – 8,354.
February 19, 2016 - Highest Regular Season Attendance in ABA History – 8,987.
June 1, 2014 – National ABA Charity Award for Outstanding Service to the Community.
2015-2015 Season – ABA Team of the Year, Ron Sholes ABA Owner of the Year, Pam Masters general Manager of the year, Kevin Waters coach of the year
2018-2019 Season – Maurice Mickens received ABA Player of the Year
2011–2012 roster
2012–2013 roster
2013–2014 roster
2018–2019 roster
References
{{Florida Sports
American Basketball Association (2000–present) teams
Basketball teams in Florida
Sports teams in Jacksonville, Florida
Basketball teams established in 2010
2010 establishments in Florida