| The Basketball League (TBL) | |
| Upcoming Season: | 2024 TBL season |
| Pixels: | 200px |
| Sport: | Basketball |
| Founded: | 2017 |
| Inaugural: | 2018 |
| President: | Dave Magley |
| Ceo: | Evelyn Magley |
| Commissioner: | Carlnel Wiley |
| Motto: | "Where the spirit of the game lives" |
| Teams: | 38 |
| Countries: | United States Canada |
| Continent: | FIBA Americas (Americas) |
| Champion: | Potawatomi Fire (2024) |
The Basketball League (TBL), formerly North America Premier Basketball (NAPB), is a professional basketball organization. The league began operating in North America in 2018 with eight teams, and expanded to 38 teams .
The Basketball League is a professional basketball league providing player salaries from $500 to $6,500 per month,[1] [2] while teams operate on a budget of $125,000 to $250,000 per season.[3]
On July 7, 2017, Sev Hrywnak and Dave Magley announced the formation of a new professional basketball league. Magley previously served as commissioner for the National Basketball League of Canada (NBLC).[4] 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 Premier Basketball League, 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.[5]
The league launched its inaugural 2018 season with eight teams: the Albany Patroons, Kansas City Tornados, Kentucky Thoroughbreds, Nevada Desert Dogs, 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 announced that there were four more approved franchises in Bellevue, Washington; Raleigh, North Carolina; Tampa, Florida; and San Diego, California; with the goal of 16 total well-funded teams, for a 2019 season.[6]
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).[7] Paul Mokeski, 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.[8] 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 and New York Court Kings, in addition to the three previously announced expansion teams, the Raleigh Firebirds, San Diego Waves, and Tampa Bay Titans. Three teams also slightly re-branded with the Kansas City Tornadoes, Mesquite Desert Dogs, and Owensboro Thoroughbreds. The 2019 season commenced with ten teams.
During the second season, there were many canceled and rescheduled games.[9] The league cut its season short, with the New York Court Kings and Kansas City Tornadoes either folding or ceasing operations for the season.[10]
Prior to the third season, the league added the Columbus Condors, Dayton Flight, Dallas Skyline, Gulf Coast Lions, Indy Express, Lewisville Yellow Jackets, and the Tri-State Admirals as expansion teams.[11] [12] 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.[13] Due to the lack of other western teams, the Yakima SunKings and the Mesquite Desert Dogs 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 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.[14] [15] [16] [17] 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 (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.[18] In July 2024, TBL's first proposed Canadian team, the Port City Power based in Saint John, New Brunswick was announced. League President David Magley also announced that TBL would be planning to further expand into The Maritimes for the 2025 season.[19]
| Team | City | Arena | Capacity | Founded | Joined | Head coach | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Northeast | Albany Patroons | 3,600 | 2017 | 2018 | Derrick Rowland | |||
| Connecticut Crusaders | Harvey Hubbell Gymnasium | 2023 | 2024 | |||||
| Frederick Flying Cows | Frederick, Maryland | Woodsboro Bank Arena | 2023 | 2024 | Ed Corporal | |||
| Jamestown Jackals | Jamestown Community College | 1,400 | 2015 | 2019 | Raheem Singleton | |||
| Reading Rebels | 2021 | 2022 | Joe Linderman | |||||
| Rhode Island Kraken | multiple | 2023 | 2024 | |||||
| Tri-State Admirals | Dix Hills, New York | Upper Christian Gym | 2020 | 2021 | ||||
| Virginia Valley Vipers | James R. Wilkins, Jr. Athletics & Events Center | 1,200 | 2022 | 2023 | Lester Conner | |||
| Atlantic Southeast | ||||||||
| Coastal Georgia Buccaneers | Tiger Arena | 5,000 | 2022 | 2023 | Roman Button | |||
| Jacksonville 95ers | Jacksonville, Florida | Swisher Gymnasium | 2023 | 2024 | Jerrod Tucker | |||
| Raleigh Firebirds | 2018 | 2019 | Bob MacKinnon | |||||
| Rocket City Flight | 2024 | Al Jackson | ||||||
| Central | Enid Outlaws | Enid, Oklahoma | Stride Bank Center | 3,887 | 2020 | 2021 | Billy Hiatt | |
| Little Rock Lightning | Little Rock, Arkansas | Hall High School | 2020 | 2021 | ||||
| Potawatomi Fire | Shawnee, Oklahoma | FireLake Arena | 5,000 | 2021 | 2022 | |||
| Santa Ana Thunder | Santa Ana, New Mexico | Bernalillo High School | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
| Texas 7ers | Terrell, Texas | 2023 | 2024 | Kendrick Bryson | ||||
| Wichita Sky Kings | Wichita, Kansas | Fugate Gymnasium | 10,506 | 2022 | 2023 | Johnny Tyson | ||
| Midwest | Cincinnati Warriors | 2021 | 2022 | James Millen | ||||
| Derby City Distillers | Louisville, Kentucky | 2022 | 2023 | Tim Gray | ||||
| Glass City Wranglers | Student Health and Activities Center | 1,200 | 2020 | 2022 | Freddie Zamora | |||
| Kokomo BobKats | Memorial Gymnasium | 7,200 | 2020 | 2021 | Chandler Levingston Simon | |||
| Lebanon Leprechauns | Lebanon, Indiana | 2,500 | 2021 | 2022 | John Benson | |||
| Medora Timberjacks | 1,200 | 2021 | 2022 | Mark Morin | ||||
| St. Louis Griffins | 2022 | 2023 | ||||||
| West Virginia Grind | Charleston, West Virginia | 2023 | ||||||
| Pacific Northwest | ||||||||
| Emerald City Jaguars | Eugene, Oregon | 2023 | 2024 | John Tyson | ||||
| Great Falls Electric | Great Falls, Montana | 2023 | 2024 | Steve Keller | ||||
| Salem Capitals | Salem, Oregon | 3,887 | 2020 | 2022 | Brian Stevens | |||
| Seattle Super Hawks | Royal Brougham Pavilion | 2,500 | 2022 | 2023 | Eldridge Recasner | |||
| Vancouver Volcanoes | Vancouver, Washington | 2021 | 2022 | Jeff Perrault | ||||
| Wenatchee Bighorns | Wenatchee, Washington | Smith Gym | 2,000 | 2022 | 2023 | Matt Riley | ||
| Pacific Southeast | Bakersfield Majestics | Riverlakes Ranch Community Center | 2021 | 2022 | Marc Mo | |||
| Los Angeles Ignite | California State Los Angeles | 2023 | 2024 | Vicken Eskidjian | ||||
| Long Beach Waves | Long Beach State University | 2021 | 2022 | |||||
| San Diego Sharks | San Diego City College | 2022 | Brandon Cheeks |
| Team | City | Arena | Capacity | Founded | Joining | Head coach | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Heet | Chandler, Arizona | Coyote Center | 2021 | 2025 | ||||
| DMV Soldiers | 2024 | 2026 | ||||||
| Port City Power | Lord Beaverbrook Rink | 2,000 | 2024 | 2025 | Rob Spon | |||
| Baltimore Venom | 2024 | 2025 | ||||||
| Halifax Hoopers | 2024 | 2025 |
| Team | City | Arena | Seasons | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic City Gambits | Atlantic City, New Jersey | 2021–2023 | Not listed on website after season ended. | ||
| Carolina Coyotes | Glenforest School | 2020–2022 | Not listed on website after season ended. | ||
| Central Alabama Jaguars | Garrett Coliseum | 2022 | Not listed on website after season ended. | ||
| Central Florida Force | Barnett Park Recreation Complex | 2021–2023 | Not listed on website after season ended. | ||
| Charlotte Purple Jackets | Charlotte, North Carolina | curry court | 2021–2023 | Not listed on website after season ended. | |
| Columbus Condors | multiple | 2020–2021 | Not listed on website after season ended. | ||
| Dayton Flight | Dayton Sports Complex | 2020–2022 | Not listed on website after season ended. | ||
| Detroit Hustle | 2020–2022 | Not listed on website after season ended. | |||
| Fayetteville Stingers | 2023 | Not listed on website after season ended. | |||
| Georgia Soul | Augusta, Georgia | HEAL Complex | 2021–2023 | Not listed on website after season ended. | |
| Gulf Coast Lions | Newton Estates Gym | 2020–2023 | Not listed on website after season ended. | ||
| Houston Push | 2021 | Not listed on website after season ended. | |||
| Indy Express | Municipal Gardens | 2020–2021 | Not listed on website after season ended. | ||
| Indiana All-Americans | Blue River Valley High School | 2022 | Not listed on website after season. ended. | ||
| Kansas City Tornadoes | multiple | 2018–2019 | Reportedly backed out of participating in 2019 playoffs despite being second place; not listed on website after season ended. | ||
| Kentucky Enforcers | Thomas More University | 2021-2023 | Reportedly taking the 2023-2024 season off. | ||
| Lehigh Valley Legends | Easton, Pennsylvania | Kirby Sports Center | 2021–2023 | not listed on website after 2021 season ended. | |
| Lewisville Leopards | Lewisville, Texas | Macedonia C.A.R.E. Center | 2020–2021 | Known as the Lewisville Yellow Jackets in the 2020 season; not listed on website after 2021 season ended. | |
| Massachusetts Monarchs | Taunton, Massachusetts | Taunton High School | 2020–2022 | not listed on website after 2022 season ended. | |
| Mesquite Desert Dogs | multiple | 2018–2019 | Withdrew prior to the 2020 season citing travel costs as the last remaining west coast team.[20] | ||
| Midtown Prestige | 2021 | Not listed on website after season ended. | |||
| New York Court Kings | Elmcor Youth and Adult Activities Center | 2019 | Joined from the ABA; apparently ceased operations during the 2019 season. | ||
| Ohio Bootleggers | 2018 | Owners of the Bootleggers had been operating the Vancouver Knights since sometime during the 2018 season. The Bootleggers' NABL team then replaced the folded Ohio Cardinals midseason, but were not listed by TBL as a 2019 member. The Bootleggers relaunched as the Columbus Condors in 2020. | |||
| Ohio Cardinals | 2018 | Folded during the 2018 season. | |||
| Oklahoma Panthers | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | Putnam City High School | 2021–2023 | Not listed on website after season ended. | |
| Omaha's Finest | Omaha, Nebraska | Millard North High School | 2021 | Not listed on website after season ended. | |
| Owensboro Thoroughbreds | 2018–2023 | Not listed on website after season ended. | |||
| Pearland Texas Warriors | Pearland Nortorium | 2022 | Not listed on website after season ended. | ||
| Rochester Razorsharks | Blue Cross Arena | 2018 | Played the 2018 NAPB season. Change of ownership and left TBL. | ||
| Syracuse Stallions | Liverpool High School | 2017–2023 | Not listed on website after season ended. | ||
| San Diego Guardians | 2021 | Not listed on website after season ended. | |||
| San Diego Waves | 2019 | Team's owner was stated to be relocating the team to an undecided location. San Diego Armada was announced as a replacement team for the 2020 season under new ownership. | |||
| Shreveport-Bossier Mavericks | Shreveport, Louisiana | Gold Dome | 2021–2024 | Folded midway though 2024 season | |
| Sugarland Imperials | Wheeler Field House | 2022 | Not listed on website after season ended. | ||
| SoCal Moguls | 2021–2022 | Not listed on website after season. ended. | |||
| Tallahassee Southern Kings | 2022 | Not listed on website after season ended. | |||
| Tampa Bay Titans | 2019–2022 | Not listed on website after season ended. | |||
| Vancouver Knights | 2018 | The Ohio Bootleggers' ownership took over operations of the Knights during the season and the Knights became a travel team. Ownership was transferred during the 2018 season to another unidentified group once the Bootleggers took over for the Cardinals' schedule. Was not listed by TBL as a 2019 member. | |||
| Vegas Ballers | Tarkanian Basketball Center | 2021 | Not listed on website after season ended. | ||
| Waco Royals | 2020–2022 | Not listed on website after season ended. | |||
| West Coast Breeze | multiple | 2021, 2023 | Not listed on website after season ended. | ||
| Yakima SunKings | 2018–2019 | Went on hiatus for 2020.[21] | |||
| York Mighty Ants | 2023 | not listed on website after season. |
| Season | Regular season champion | Regular season MVP | Playoff champion | Playoff runner-up | Playoff MVP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Yakima SunKings | Edwin Ubiles (Albany) | Yakima SunKings | Renaldo Major | ||
| 2019 | Yakima SunKings | Robert Duncan (Yakima) | Albany Patroons | Yakima SunKings | Shadell Millinghaus | |
| 2020 | Indy Express | Corey Taite (Tri-State) | Season canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic | |||
| 2021 | Enid Outlaws | Chance Comanche (Enid) | Enid Outlaws | Chance Comanche | ||
| 2022 | Shreveport Mavericks | Deshawn Munson (Potawatomi Fire) | Shreveport Mavericks | |||
| 2023 | Potawatomi Fire | Potawatomi Fire | St. Louis Griffins | |||
| 2024 | Potawatomi Fire | Potawatomi Fire | St. Louis Griffins | |||