The Basketball League
Current season, competition or edition: 2026 TBL season | |
 | |
| Formerly | North America Premier Basketball |
|---|---|
| Sport | Basketball |
| Founded | 2017 |
| First season | 2018 |
| Owners | Dave Magley Evelyn Magley |
| CEO | Evelyn Magley |
| President | Dave Magley |
| Commissioner | Carlnel Wiley |
| Motto | Where the spirit of the game lives |
| No. of teams | 32 |
| Countries | United States Canada |
| Continent | North America |
| Most recent champion | Potawatomi Fire (3rd title) |
| Most titles | Potawatomi Fire (3) |
| Broadcaster | TBL TV |
| Official website | thebasketballleague |
The Basketball League (TBL), formerly North America Premier Basketball (NAPB), is a professional basketball league. The league began operating in North America in 2018 with eight teams, and has since expanded.
TBL's regular season runs from February through May, and their teams engage in interleague play with franchises of the Basketball Super League (BSL).
History
[edit]In July 2017, Dave Magley and Severko Hrywnak announced the formation of North America Premier Basketball (NAPB).[1] Magley previously served as commissioner for the National Basketball League of Canada (NBLC), and Hrywnak was co-founder of the Premier Basketball League (PBL).[1]
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 Yakima SunKings defeated the Albany Patroons in a best-of-three series to become inaugural NAPB champions.[2]
After the first season, Dave Magley and his wife Evelyn acquired the league as sole owners, and rebranded as The Basketball League (TBL).[3] Paul Mokeski was named commissioner of the league for its 2019 season, which commenced with ten teams.[4] The league's second season was ended prematurely, as many teams were struggling financially.[5] In a rematch from the prior year, the Albany Patroons defeated the Yakima SunKings in a best-of-three series to become TBL champions.[6] Paul Woolpert was fired as Yakima's head coach prior to the final game, as he had protested the team owner refusing to pay for his coaching staff's flights to Albany.[7]
The 2020 season began with twelve teams, but ended prematurely with no playoffs held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] Carlnel Wiley replaced Paul Mokeski as league commissioner prior to this season.[9]
Twenty-nine teams played during the 2021 season, with the Enid Outlaws defeating the Syracuse Stallions in a best-of-three series to capture the league championship.[10]
We are a showcase league, trying to provide players with opportunities. We don’t have buyout clauses, so players can leave if they find another opportunity. We provide video and stats, which is important for players who want to go overseas, because those are the two things that you need to get a chance.[11]
National Basketball League of Canada (NBLC) teams engaged in interleague play with TBL franchises during the 2022 season, including the 2022 TBL All-Star Game.[12] Forty-four teams competed that season, and the Shreveport Mavericks defeated the Albany Patroons in a best-of-three series to become TBL champions.[13]
Forty-nine teams played during the 2023 season, with the Potawatomi Fire defeating the St. Louis Griffins in their best-of-three series to become TBL champions.[14]
After the dissolution of NBLC following their 2022–23 season, Dave Magley announced the formation of the Basketball Super League (BSL), whose teams would engage in interleague play with TBL franchises beginning in 2024.[15] The 2024 season saw thirty-nine teams compete, with the Potawatomi Fire once again defeating the St. Louis Griffin in a best-of-three series to win the TBL championship.[16]
The current entry fee for a TBL franchise is $600,000, payable on installment, along with a $10,000 annual fee for officiating.[17] Owners are expected to have annual operating budgets of $200,000 to $300,000, and are entitled to receive 50% of the league's sponsorship earnings through revenue sharing.[17]
Teams
[edit]
Current teams
[edit]| Conference | Division | Team | City | Arena | Capacity | Founded | Joined | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern | Atlantic | |||||||
| Albany Patroons | Albany, New York | Washington Avenue Armory | 4,480[18] | 2017[a] | 2018 | Derrick Rowland | ||
| Halifax Hoopers | Halifax, Nova Scotia | Zatzman Sportsplex | 3,000[19] | 2024 | 2025 | Augy Jones | ||
| Highland Herd | Antigonish, Nova Scotia | Amelia Saputo Centre | 1,135 | 2025 | 2026 | TBA | ||
| Newfoundland Rogues | St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador | Mary Brown's Centre | 3,000 | 2024 | 2026 | Doug Partridge | ||
| New England Kraken | Boston, Massachusetts | TBA | 600 | 2021 | 2025 | TBA | ||
| Tri City Tide | Moncton, New Brunswick | Crandall University | 600[20] | 2024 | 2025 | Rob Spon | ||
| Mid Atlantic | ||||||||
| DC Heat | Northern Virginia | TBA | 2025 | 2026 | TBA | |||
| DMV Soldiers | Severn, Maryland | TBA | 2025 | 2026 | TBA | |||
| Lehigh Valley Flight | Allentown, Pennsylvania | TBA | 2025 | 2026 | TBA | |||
| Tri-State Admirals | Elizabeth, New Jersey | Saint Elizabeth University | 2020 | 2020 | Daniel Jacob | |||
| First State Misfits | Delaware | TBA | TBA | 2025 | 2026 | TBA | ||
| South Atlantic | ||||||||
| Fayetteville Liberty | Fayetteville, North Carolina | Crown Coliseum | 2024 | 2026 | Don Gardner | |||
| Kissimmee Lambs | Kissimmee, Florida | TBA | 2023 (in the ABA) | 2026 | TBA | |||
| Jacksonville 95ers | Jacksonville, Florida | First Coast High School | 1,500[21] | 2023 | 2024 | Kevin Waters | ||
| Raleigh Firebirds | Raleigh, North Carolina | St. Augustine's University | 750[22] | 2018 | 2019 | Bob MacKinnon | ||
| Tampa Bay Titans | Tampa Bay, Florida | TBA | 5,000 | 2022 | 2025 | TBA | ||
| Midwest | Upper Midwest | Crawfordsville Commanders | Crawfordsville, Indiana | Old Crawfordsville High School | 2025 | 2026 | TBA | |
| Hamilton County Huskers | Arcadia, Indiana | TBA | TBA | 2025 | 2026 | TBA | ||
| Kokomo BobKats | Kokomo, Indiana | Memorial Gymnasium | 5,200[23] | 2020 | 2021 | Chandler Levingston Simon | ||
| Lebanon Leprechauns | Lebanon, Indiana | The Farmers Bank Fieldhouse | 2021 | 2022 | John Benson | |||
| Lower Midwest | Columbus Wizards | Westerville, Ohio | Rike Center | 3,100 | 2023 (in the ABA) | 2026 | ||
| Grove City Whitetails | Grove City, Ohio | Central Crossing High School | 3,100 | 2025 | 2026 | |||
| Cincinnati Warriors | Cincinnati, Ohio | Gamble Montessori High School | 2021 | 2022 | James Millen | |||
| Glass City Wranglers | Toledo, Ohio | Glass City Center | 1,200 | 2020 | 2022 | Freddie Zamora | ||
| Lake County Legacy | Lake County, Illinois | Waukegan High School | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
| St. Louis Griffins | St. Louis, Missouri | Normandy High School Saint Louis Priory School |
2022 | 2023 | Nate Griffin | |||
| Central | Central | ADS Sentinels | San Antonio, Texas | ADS Sportsplex | 2025 | 2026 | ||
| CYM Leopards | Lake Dallas, Texas | TBA | 2020 | 2021 | TBA | |||
| Enid Outlaws | Enid, Oklahoma | Stride Bank Center | 5,000[24] | 2020 | 2021 | Burshaud Williams | ||
| Little Rock Lightning | Little Rock, Arkansas | Hall High School | 2020 | 2021 | Brian Rowsom | |||
| Potawatomi Fire | Shawnee, Oklahoma | FireLake Arena | 5,000[25] | 2021 | 2022 | Mark Dannhoff | ||
| Sherman Stampede | Sherman, Texas | TBA | 2025 | 2026 | TBA | |||
| West | West | 4 Bears Roar[26] | New Town, North Dakota | 4 Bears Casino Event Center | 1,500 | 2025 | 2026 | |
| GC Red Tails | Desert Aire, Washington | TBA | 2025 | 2026 | TBA | |||
| Great Falls Electric | Great Falls, Montana | Great Falls High School | 2023 | 2024 | Steve Keller | |||
| Mesa Monsoons | Mesa, Arizona | TBA | 2025 | 2026 | TBA | |||
| Las Vegas Fortune | Las Vegas, Nevada | TBA | 2025 | 2026 | TBA | |||
| Willamette Valley Jaguars | Willamette Valley, Oregon | Corvallis High School Crescent Valley High School McArthur Court |
1,050[27] Unknown 9,087[28] |
2023 | 2024 | Mary Stade |
Future teams
[edit]| Team | City | Arena | Capacity | Founded | Joined | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Bears Roar[29] | New Town, North Dakota | 4 Bears Casino Event Center | 1,500 | 2025 | 2026 | |
| ADS Sentinels | San Antonio, Texas | ADS Sportsplex | 2025 | 2026 | ||
| Cowlitz County Sasquatch [30] | Longview, Washington | Mark Morris High School | 2025 | 2026 | ||
| Columbus Wizards | Westerville, Ohio | Rike Center | 3,100 | 2023 (in the ABA) | 2026 | |
| Fayetteville Liberty | Fayetteville, North Carolina | Crown Coliseum | 2024 | 2026 | Don Gardner | |
| Grove City Whitetails | Grove City, Ohio | Central Crossing High School | 3,100 | 2025 | 2026 | |
| Kissimmee Lambs | Kissimmee, Florida | 3,100 | 2023 (in the ABA) | 2026 | ||
| Los Angeles Ignite | Los Angeles, California | California State Los Angeles | 2,300 | 2023 | 2024, 2026 | Vicken Eskidjian |
| Scranton Dream Mountain Wolves | Scranton, Pennsylvania | Penn State Scranton | 2025 | 2026 | TBA | |
| Sherman Stampede | Sherman, Texas | TBA | 2025 | 2026 | TBA | |
| DC Heat | Northern Virginia | TBA | 2025 | 2026 | TBA | |
| GC Red Tails | Desert Aire, Washington | TBA | 2025 | 2026 | TBA | |
| Clark County Trash Pandas | Clark County, Washington | TBA | 2025 | 2026 | TBA | |
| Lehigh Valley Flight | Allentown, Pennsylvania | TBA | 2025 | 2026 | TBA | |
| Crawfordsville Commanders | Crawfordsville, Indiana | Old Crawfordsville High School | 2025 | 2026 | TBA | |
| Mesa Monsoons | Mesa, Arizona | TBA | 2025 | 2026 | TBA | |
| Las Vegas Fortune | Las Vegas, Nevada | TBA | 2025 | 2026 | TBA | |
| Antigonish TBL | Antigonish, Nova Scotia | Amelia Saputo Centre | 1,135 | 2025 | 2026 | TBA |
| Yakima SunKings | Yakima, Washington | Yakima Valley SunDome | 2,300 | 2023 | 2018, 2026 | |
| Cincinnati Warriors | Cincinnati, Ohio | Gamble Montessori High School | 2021 | 2022 | James Millen | |
| Glass City Wranglers | Toledo, Ohio | Glass City Center | 1,200 | 2020 | 2022 | Freddie Zamora |
| Hamilton County Huskers | Arcadia, Indiana | TBA | TBA | 2025 | 2026 | TBA |
| First State Misfits | Delaware | TBA | TBA | 2025 | 2026 | TBA |
Seasons
[edit]| Season | Regular season champion | Regular season MVP | Playoff champion | Playoff runner-up | Playoff MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Yakima SunKings | Edwin Ubiles (Albany) | Yakima SunKings | Albany Patroons | 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 | Syracuse Stallions | Chance Comanche |
| 2022 | Shreveport Mavericks | Deshawn Munson (Potawatomi) | Shreveport Mavericks | Albany Patroons | PJ Meyers |
| 2023 | Potawatomi Fire | Chris Darrington (Glass City) | Potawatomi Fire | St. Louis Griffins | Daylon Guy and Deshawn Munson |
| 2024 | Potawatomi Fire | Daylon Guy (Potawatomi) | Potawatomi Fire | St. Louis Griffins | Deshawn Munson |
* Shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Indy Express had the best overall record at the time of cancellation.
Notes
[edit]- ^ New franchise replacing the defunct team of the same name.
References
[edit]- ^ a b Dill, Jason (July 12, 2017). "Ex-BCS coach Magley launches new pro basketball league". Bradenton Herald. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
- ^ "SunKings defeat Albany in best-of-three NAPB championship, 107-92". Yakima Herald-Republic. May 10, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
- ^ "Meet the First Black Female Owner of a Male Professional Basketball League (Not a Team, But a League!)". Black News. July 17, 2018.
- ^ Martin, Lou (August 17, 2018). "Mesquite (Nevada) Desert Dogs coming back for 2019". Mesquite Local News. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
- ^ Martin, Lou (April 12, 2019). "Good and Bad news for Desert Dogs". Mesquite Local News.
- ^ "SunKings fall to Albany in deciding game of TBL championship series". Yakima Herald-Republic. May 4, 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
- ^ Thomas, Dave (May 3, 2019). "SunKings fire coach Paul Woolpert in middle of championship series". Yakima Herald-Republic. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
- ^ "Albany Patroons and The Basketball League announce season cancellation due to coronavirus concerns". Troy Record. March 11, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
- ^ "Carlnel Wiley named TBL commissioner". US Basketball. January 17, 2020. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
- ^ Carlson, Chris (July 25, 2021). "Syracuse Stallions' first year in professional basketball league ends in championship series sweep". syracuse. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
- ^ Bembry, Jerry (March 25, 2021). "Behind Evelyn Magley's vision for The Basketball League". Andscape. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
- ^ "NBL Canada Returns to Celebrate 10th Season with Inter-League Play". OurSports Central. November 4, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
- ^ Singelais, Mark (July 8, 2022). "Shreveport breaks through Patroons' Armory streak for TBL championship". Times Union. Albany, New York. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
- ^ Buckingham, Dylan (June 28, 2023). "Potawatomi Fire Win The Basketball League Championship". KFOR.com Oklahoma City. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
- ^ "NBL Canada Teams To Join Basketball Super League". nblcanada.ca/ (Press release). National Basketball League of Canada. May 11, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- ^ Cox, Chris (June 27, 2024). "Fire Seizes 2024 TBL Title with 119-108 Victory!". Countywide & Sun. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
- ^ a b O'Donnell, Randy (October 28, 2024). "League president shooting for pro basketball model that works in N.B." Telegraph-Journal. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
- ^ Awareness, Relentless (August 30, 2017). "Washington Avenue Armory, Albany Patroons announce return of professional basketball in Albany". Medium. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
- ^ "Dartmouth Sportsplex". Locations Hub. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
- ^ "Tri-City Tide". Tri-City Tide. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
- ^ Elliott, Jeff (February 26, 2010). "Big moment for First Coast High's boys basketball team". Florida Times-Union. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
- ^ "2017-18 Saint Augustine's University Women's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). Retrieved March 4, 2025.
- ^ "Kokomo High School – Kokomo Memorial Gymnasium". Basketball Locations IN Indiana. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
- ^ "Stride Bank Center". Henderson Engineers. May 31, 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
- ^ "FireLake Arena". Visit Shawnee, OK. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
- ^ "Pro Basketball League and More Coming to 4 Bears". KX Television. August 24, 2025.
- ^ "A History of Corvallis High School" (PDF). Retrieved March 8, 2025.
- ^ Swanson, Mirjam (December 31, 2010). "Farewell to venerable McArthur Court from an Oregon alum". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
- ^ "Pro Basketball League and More Coming to 4 Bears". KX Television. August 24, 2025.
- ^ "Longview alum, business owner staff new local pro basketball team". The Daily News. August 11, 2025. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
External links
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Men's basketball leagues | |||||||||
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| Africa | |||||||||
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| Europe |
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| Oceania | |||||||||
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| Defunct tournaments |
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