The Nashville Stars were a
professional basketball
In professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, participants receive payment for their performance. Professionalism in sport has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larg ...
team that played in the
World Basketball League World Basketball League (WBL) was a minor professional basketball league in the United States and Canada that ran from 1988 to 1992. It was founded as the International Basketball Association in November 1987, before changing its name prior to the 1 ...
(WBL) in 1991. They were located in
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
, and played their home games at the
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 ...
. Prior to arriving in Nashville, the franchise played in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
, as the
Las Vegas Silver Streaks. The Stars disbanded after the 1991 season in which they placed fourth in the Southern Division with a 23–28 record.
The team was led by veteran collegiate coach
Ron Greene. He was assisted by Kevin Legate, who had played at Nashville's
Belmont University
Belmont University is a private Christian university in Nashville, Tennessee. Descended from Belmont Women's College, founded in 1890 by schoolteachers Ida Hood and Susan Heron, the institution was incorporated in 1951 as Belmont College. It be ...
.
Notable players included 1988 WBL Most Valuable Player and three-time All-WBL selection
Jamie Waller and 1991 All-WBL selection
Daren Queenan, who was named to the 1991 All-WBL team. The only Star to reach the
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 S ...
was
Cedric Hunter
Cedric R. Hunter (born January 16, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, he was a 6'0" (183 cm) 180 lb (82 kg) point guard and played collegiately at the University of Kansas.
Hunte ...
, who played one minute of one game with the
Charlotte Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...
in 1992.
[
Radio broadcasts were carried locally by ]WAMB
WAMB (1130 AM broadcasting, AM) is a radio station broadcasting a mix of adult contemporary and soft adult contemporary formats. Licensed to Brazil, Indiana, United States, the station serves the Terre Haute area. It first began broadcasting in ...
1160 AM with local talk show host Gregory Ruff as the play-by-play announcer
In sports broadcasting, a sports commentator (also known as sports announcer or sportscaster) provides a real-time commentary of a game or event, usually during a live broadcast, traditionally delivered in the historical present tense. Radio was ...
.
References
1991 establishments in Tennessee
1991 disestablishments in Tennessee
Basketball teams established in 1991
Basketball teams in Tennessee
Sports clubs and teams disestablished in 1991
Sports in Nashville, Tennessee
World Basketball League teams
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