The Basketball League (TBL), formerly North America Premier Basketball (NAPB), is a
minor league basketball organization. The league began operating in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
in 2018 with eight teams, and expanded to over 44 teams as of 2022.
The Basketball League is a professional basketball league providing player salaries from $500 to $6,500 per month, while teams operate on a budget of $125,000 to $250,000 per season.
History
On July 7, 2017, Sev Hrywnak and
Dave Magley
David John Magley (born November 24, 1959) is a retired American basketball player and coach. He is currently the president of The Basketball League after serving as commissioner of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBLC). Prior to becomi ...
announced the formation of a new professional basketball league. Magley previously served as commissioner for the
National Basketball League of Canada
The National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada; french: Ligue nationale de basketball du Canada) is a Canadian professional men's minor league basketball organization. The NBL Canada was founded in 2011, when three existing Premier Basketb ...
(NBLC). Hrywnak was the owner of the
Rochester Razorsharks. Teams are based throughout the United States and Western Canada. Over the course of two years, the league administration located cities that formerly hosted basketball teams in the defunct
Continental Basketball Association
The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball m ...
, the
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 ...
, defunct NBA teams and other potential sports markets. The purpose of the league is to provide opportunities for community involvement particularly schools from the elementary to high school levels. Programs include players reading to younger children, hosting basketball camps for teens, and speaking in school-wide assemblies about substance abuse and staying in school.
The league launched its inaugural
2018 season with eight teams: the
Albany Patroons,
Kansas City Tornados
The Kansas City Tornadoes were an American professional basketball team based in Kansas City, Missouri, and members of The Basketball League (TBL).
History
On September 27, 2017, North American Premier Basketball (NAPB) announced a team that ...
,
Kentucky Thoroughbreds
The Owensboro Thoroughbreds, formerly the Kentucky Thoroughbreds, are an American basketball team based in Owensboro, Kentucky, and members in the minor professional The Basketball League (TBL).
History
On September 13, 2017, North American Premi ...
,
Nevada Desert Dogs
The Mesquite Desert Dogs were an American professional basketball team based in Mesquite, Nevada.
History
On October 30, 2017, North American Premier Basketball (NAPB) announced a team would play in Mesquite, Nevada, for the league's inaugural 2 ...
, Ohio Cardinals,
Rochester Razorsharks, Vancouver Knights, and the
Yakima SunKings. The Ohio Cardinals were replaced mid-season by the Ohio Bootleggers, a team operated by the former ownership of the Vancouver Knights.
On February 25, 2018,
Dave Magley
David John Magley (born November 24, 1959) is a retired American basketball player and coach. He is currently the president of The Basketball League after serving as commissioner of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBLC). Prior to becomi ...
announced that there were four more approved franchises in
Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue ( ) is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, located across Lake Washington from Seattle. It is the third-largest city in the Seattle metropolitan area and has variously been characterized as a s ...
,
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...
,
Tampa, Florida
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...
, and
San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
, with the goal of 16 total well-funded teams, for a 2019 season.
After the first NAPB season, Magley acquired the league as sole owner, moved the headquarters to Indiana, and named Evelyn Magley—his wife—as the new CEO. On July 14, the league was re-branded as The Basketball League (TBL).
Paul Mokeski
Paul Mokeski (born January 3, 1957) is an American former basketball player and coach. Standing 7 ft 0 in, he played the center position. He played for five NBA teams, including six seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Mokeski's last coaching ...
, head coach and general manager of the Nevada Desert Dogs during the inaugural season, was then named commissioner of the league for the 2019 season. During the league changes, the Ohio Bootleggers, Rochester Razorsharks, and Vancouver Knights folded while the Bellevue team never came to fruition. The league then added the existing teams, the
Jamestown Jackals
The Jamestown Jackals are a professional basketball team in Jamestown, New York, United States, and members of The Basketball League (TBL).
History
The Jamestown Jackals were founded in 2015 by Kayla Crosby and joined the minor professional Pre ...
and New York Court Kings, in addition to the three previously announced expansion teams, the
Raleigh Firebirds
The Raleigh Firebirds are an American professional basketball team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, and a member of The Basketball League (TBL). For the 2019 season, their home games were played at Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School and Robert ...
, San Diego Waves, and
Tampa Bay Titans
The Tampa Bay Titans are an American professional basketball team in The Basketball League and are based in Tampa, Florida.
History
On February 25, 2018, Dave Magley stated that Tampa, Florida
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the Uni ...
. Three teams also slightly re-branded with the
Kansas City Tornadoes
The Kansas City Tornadoes were an American professional basketball team based in Kansas City, Missouri, and members of The Basketball League (TBL).
History
On September 27, 2017, North American Premier Basketball (NAPB) announced a team that w ...
,
Mesquite Desert Dogs
The Mesquite Desert Dogs were an American professional basketball team based in Mesquite, Nevada.
History
On October 30, 2017, North American Premier Basketball (NAPB) announced a team would play in Mesquite, Nevada, for the league's inaugural 2 ...
, and
Owensboro Thoroughbreds
The Owensboro Thoroughbreds, formerly the Kentucky Thoroughbreds, are an American basketball team based in Owensboro, Kentucky, and members in the minor professional The Basketball League (TBL).
History
On September 13, 2017, North American Prem ...
. The
2019 season commenced with ten teams.
During the second season, there were many canceled and rescheduled games. The league cut its season short, with the New York Court Kings and
Kansas City Tornadoes
The Kansas City Tornadoes were an American professional basketball team based in Kansas City, Missouri, and members of The Basketball League (TBL).
History
On September 27, 2017, North American Premier Basketball (NAPB) announced a team that w ...
either folding or ceasing operations for the season.
Prior to the third season, the league added the Columbus Condors,
Dayton Flight,
Dallas Skyline, Gulf Coast Lions, Indy Express,
Lewisville Yellow Jackets
The Lewisville Leopards are an American professional basketball team based out of Lewisville, Texas, and a member of The Basketball League (TBL).
History
On August 18, 2019, Evelyn Magley, CEO of The Basketball League (TBL), announced a new fran ...
, and the Tri-State Admirals as expansion teams. The San Diego Waves were replaced by expansion
San Diego Armada while the Waves were being relocated, but neither team would make the 2020 schedule. Due to the lack of other western teams, the
Yakima SunKings and the
Mesquite Desert Dogs
The Mesquite Desert Dogs were an American professional basketball team based in Mesquite, Nevada.
History
On October 30, 2017, North American Premier Basketball (NAPB) announced a team would play in Mesquite, Nevada, for the league's inaugural 2 ...
suspended operations. The third season started in January 2020, but on March 11, 2020, the league announced the season would end prematurely due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
and have a four-team playoff on March 18 through 22. However, the tournament was also cancelled as most events throughout the country were closed to prevent the spread of the virus.
The league then proceeded to announce several new teams for the 2021 season, expanding from 12 teams in the curtailed 2020 season to 35 teams by January 11, 2021. Several of the added teams came from the semi-professional
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...
. In March, several teams began opting out of the season due to the ongoing pandemic restrictions.
For the 2021–22 season, the
National Basketball League of Canada
The National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada; french: Ligue nationale de basketball du Canada) is a Canadian professional men's minor league basketball organization. The NBL Canada was founded in 2011, when three existing Premier Basketb ...
(NBLC) announced that they had agreed to inter-league series play with several teams from The Basketball League. The games played between the teams from the two leagues are included in their respective regular season standings for each league.
Teams
Upcoming teams
Former teams
Seasons
'' Shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Indy Express had the best overall record at the time of cancellation.''
Notes
References
External links
TBL website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Basketball League, The
Sports leagues established in 2018
Basketball leagues in the United States
2018 establishments in North America