SafekipediaAmerican Basketball Association (2000–present)
Adapted from Wikipedia · Adventurer experience
The American Basketball Association (ABA) is an American semi-professional men's basketball minor league that began in 1999. It is different from an older league with the same name that existed from 1967 to 1976 and later joined the bigger National Basketball Association.
Teams in the ABA play mostly in the United States, with one team that travels from Japan. In the past, there were also teams from Canada, China, and Mexico. The league is known for having easy rules for starting a new team, which has led many teams to stop playing or move to other leagues.
The ABA uses its name and logos because it has permission from the National Basketball Association. That bigger league took in the old ABA in what is called the ABA–NBA merger. Since 2017, there has also been a Women's American Basketball Association that operates alongside the men's ABA.
History
Launch and suspension, 1999–2002
See also: 2000–01 ABA season and 2001–02 ABA season
The league started in 1999, called ABA 2000, founded by Dick Tinkham and Joe Newman. Tinkham had helped start the Indiana Pacers, and Newman was an advertising expert for the Pacers. The National Basketball Association (NBA) tried to stop them, but the new league won and made a deal with the NBA.
The first season in 2000–01 had eight teams, including the Chicago Skyliners and Los Angeles Stars. Some teams couldn’t get places to play, so they joined later or didn’t join at all. The league wanted to include former NBA players and college stars to draw fans.
Restructuring and defections, 2003–2005
See also: 2003–04 ABA season, 2004–05 ABA season, and 2005–06 ABA season
The league started again in 2003–04 with seven teams. Dennis Rodman joined the Long Beach Jam and helped them win the championship that year.
In 2004–05, the cost to join the league got cheaper, and more teams joined. The Arkansas RimRockers won that year but left soon after.
The league added the Beijing Aoshen Olympians in 2005–06. They played in California but were popular in China, where millions watched their games.
Failed coup and formation of PBL, 2006–2008
See also: 2006–07 ABA season and 2007–08 ABA season
In 2006, former NBA player John Salley became the league’s leader, but he and another owner tried to take control from Joe Newman. Newman stayed in charge, and Salley and the other owner left.
Some teams left the league after the 2006–07 season to form a new league called the Premier Basketball League (PBL). More teams left after the next season.
CBA absorption and continued instability, 2008–2013
See also: 2008–09 ABA season, 2009–10 ABA season, 2010–11 ABA season, 2011–12 ABA season, and 2012–13 ABA season
By the 2008–09 season, over 200 teams had left the league. Some teams stopped playing because they couldn’t afford to keep going.
In 2010, the Philippine national team played some exhibition games against ABA teams.
Management change and ESPN3 deal, 2014–2016
See also: 2013–14 ABA season, 2014–15 ABA season, and 2015–16 ABA season
In 2014, a new leader took over from Joe Newman. The league made a deal to show games on ESPN3 starting in the 2014–15 season.
The Jacksonville Giants drew a huge crowd in 2016 for a game against the Chicago Steam.
WABA launch and addition of play-in tournament, 2017–present
A new league for women’s basketball, the Women’s American Basketball Association (WABA), started in 2017.
The 2019–20 season ended early because of health concerns. The Jacksonville Giants won their seventh championship in 2020–21.
A play-in tournament started in 2021–22 to decide which teams would go to the playoffs.
The Chicago Fury won back-to-back championships in 2024–25.
ABA Draft
The first ABA Draft took place in 2000 with 12 rounds. The first six rounds were for new players, and the last six were for experienced players. Some famous basketball players were chosen, including Dennis Rodman and Tim Hardaway. A.C. Green was picked by the Los Angeles Stars, and Dominique Wilkins joined the Anaheim Roadrunners. The Los Angeles Stars also chose Ed O'Bannon and Tyus Edney.
The first overall pick was Eddie House from Arizona State, followed by Scoonie Penn from Ohio State. Former Michigan stars Jimmy King and Maceo Baston were also selected in the draft.
Salary cap
When the league began in 2000, each team could have up to 10 players. The total amount of money they could spend on salaries was $900,000. At that time, a typical player earned about $60,000 each year. This made the league one of the highest-paying groups, just behind the NBA. By 2007, the salary limit dropped to $120,000. This worked out to about $10,000 per player for a team of 12.
Rule changes
The American Basketball Association has some special rules that make the games different from others:
- Four-point field goal: If a player shoots from behind the half-court line, the shot counts for 4 points.
- 3D rule: If a team makes a mistake in their own half of the court, any successful shot by the other team right after that mistake gets an extra point. So a 2-point shot becomes 3 points, a 3-point shot becomes 4 points, and a 4-point half-court shot becomes 5 points.
- Basket interference rule: If the ball is already on the rim, a defender cannot be called for interfering with the shot.
- 7 second rule: Teams have seven seconds to move the ball from their own half to the other half of the court, or they lose a play.
- Seventh foul rule: If a player makes seven fouls during the game, they must sit out for the rest of regular time but can return if there is overtime.
- 3–10 & Out: Overtime starts with a short 3-minute period. If the score is still tied, the next period has no time limit, and the first team to score 10 points wins.
- 13th man rule: The home team can have one extra player on the bench for regular games. This player usually is a special guest and doesn’t play the whole game.
Awards
The American Basketball Association (ABA) gives awards to the best players each season and in the final tournament. These awards honor players who show great skill and leadership in games.
There are special awards called ABA Season MVP and ABA Final-8 MVP. The winners are listed in tables.
| Year | Player | Team | Position | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001–02 | Pete Mickeal | Kansas City Knights | Forward |  United States |
| 2003–04 | Joe Crispin | Kansas City Knights | Forward | United States |
| 2004–05 | Kareem Reid | Arkansas RimRockers | Guard | United States |
| 2005–06 | Chris Carrawell | Rochester Razorsharks | Guard | United States |
| 2006–07 | - | - | - | - |
| 2007–08 | - | - | - | - |
| 2008–09 | Boris Siakanm/ Deron Rutledge | Kentucky Bisons/ Southeast Texas Mustangs | Forward/ Center | United States |
| 2009–10 | Josh Pace/ Jermaine Blackburn | Southeast Texas Mavericks | Center/ Forward | United States |
| 2010–11 | Odell Bradley | Southeast Texas Mavericks | Guard | United States |
| 2011–12 | Jermaine “Slim” Bell | Jacksonville Giants | Forward | United States |
| 2012–13 | Jermaine “Slim” Bell | Jacksonville Giants | Forward | United States |
| Year | Player | Team | Position | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–01 | Gee Gervin / Ndongo N'Diaye | Chicago Skyliners | Guard/Center | United States |
| 2001–02 | Pete Mickeal | Kansas City Knights | Forward | United States |
| 2003–04 | Joe Crispin | Kansas City Knights | Forward | United States |
| 2004–05 | Kareem Reid | Arkansas RimRockers | Guard | United States |
| 2005–06 | Chris Carrawell | Rochester Razorsharks | Guard | United States |
| 2006–07 | - | - | - | - |
| 2007–08 | Dwuan Rice | Vermont Frost Heaves | Guard | United States |
| 2008–09 | Michael James | Kentucky Bisons | Guard | United States |
| 2009–10 | Josh Pace | Southeast Texas Mavericks | Center | United States |
| 2010–11 | P.J. Couisnard | Southeast Texas Mavericks | Forward | United States |
| 2011–12 | Jermaine “Slim” Bell | Jacksonville Giants | Forward | United States |
| 2012–13 | Jermaine “Slim” Bell | Jacksonville Giants | Forward | United States |
Teams
In the 2025–26 season, 97 teams played in the league. Some of the oldest teams still playing are the Steel City Yellow Jackets, started in 2014, the Indiana Lyons, started in 2017, and the Buffalo eXtreme, started in 2022. Teams from Nevada include the Las Vegas Royals and the new Henderson Gamblers.
Defunct
Main article: List of former American Basketball Association (2000–present) teams
Some teams left the ABA but still play in other leagues. These include the Detroit Panthers now in the Maximum Basketball League, the Motor City Cruise in the NBA G League, the Newfoundland Rogues in The Basketball League, and the San Diego Surf in the United States Basketball League.
Championship results
For complete playoff results of past ABA seasons, see American Basketball Association (2000–present) playoff results.
| Team | Championships | Winning seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Giants | 7 | 2011–12, 2012–13, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21 |
| Southeast Texas Mavericks/ Shreveport-Bossier Mavericks | 4 | 2009–10, 2010–11, 2013–14, 2014–15 |
| Vermont Frost Heaves | 2 | 2006–07, 2007–08 |
| Chicago Fury | 2 | 2023–24, 2024–25 |
| Detroit Dogs | 1 | 2000–01 |
| Kansas City Knights | 1 | 2001–02 |
| Long Beach Jam | 1 | 2003–04 |
| Arkansas RimRockers | 1 | 2004–05 |
| Rochester Razorsharks | 1 | 2005–06 |
| Kentucky Bisons | 1 | 2008–09 |
| Steel City Yellow Jackets | 1 | 2021–22 |
| Burning River Buckets | 1 | 2022–23 (co-champions) |
| Indiana Lyons | 1 | 2022–23 (co-champions) |
All-Star Game results
Main article: ABA All-Star Game (2000–present)
| East (6 wins) | West (4 wins) | South (2 wins) | Team Presley (2 wins) | Kansas City Knights (1 win) | Team Dr. J (1 win) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Host arena | Host city | Game MVP | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Not held. | |||||
| 2002 | Kansas City Knights 161, ABA All-Stars 138 | Kemper Arena | Kansas City, Missouri | Maurice Carter, Kansas City Knights | ||
| 2003 | Not held due to league shutdown. | |||||
| 2004 | Not held. | |||||
| 2005 | West 163, East 149 | Las Vegas Sports Center | Las Vegas, Nevada | Lou Kelly, Las Vegas Rattlers | ||
| 2006 | East 129, West 127 | BankAtlantic Center | Sunrise, Florida | Armen Gilliam, Pittsburgh Xplosion | ||
| 2007 | West 138, East 123 | Halifax Metro Centre | Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada | Billy Knight, Atlanta Vision | ||
| 2008 | East 161, West 140 | Barre Auditorium | Barre, Vermont | Anthony Anderson, Manchester Millrats | ||
| 2009 | West, East | Nashville Municipal Auditorium | Nashville, Tennessee | Keith Simpson, Texas Fuel | ||
| 2010 | ABA West All-Stars vs. Gilas Pilipinas | Hangar Athletic Xchange | Los Angeles, California | |||
| 2011 | East 123, West 122 | Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena | Jacksonville, Florida | Kayode Ayeni, Jersey Express | ||
| 2012 | Red vs. White vs. Blue (round-robin tournament) | Eckerd College | St. Petersburg, Florida | |||
| 2013 | East 198, West 141 | South Suburban College | South Holland, Illinois | Maurice Mickens, Memphis Bluff City Reign | ||
| 2014 | No reported result. | Grandview Christian School | Grandview, Missouri | |||
| 2015 | South 138, North 131 | Kroc Center | South Bend, Indiana | |||
| 2016 | Team Dr. J 140, Team Gervin 139 | St. Frances Academy | Baltimore, Maryland | Terry Hosley, DMV Warriors | ||
| 2017 | South, North | Big Ben's Home Court | Richmond, Virginia | Christopher Cromartie, South Florida Gold | ||
| 2018 | No reported result. | Giving Heart Community Center | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Antonio Reddic, Steel City Yellow Jackets | ||
| 2019 | No reported result. | Giving Heart Community Center | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |||
| 2020 | Not held due to COVID-19 pandemic. | |||||
| 2021 | East 210, West 165 | James J. Eagan Center | Florissant, Missouri | |||
| 2022 | East vs. West | |||||
| 2023 | East 169, West 151 | Jefferson College | Hillsboro, Missouri | Dominique Jones, Garden State Warriors | ||
| 2024 | West 129, East 122 | Spring Hill College | Mobile, Alabama | David Jones, St. Louis Spirits | ||
| 2025 | Team Presley 210, Team Coley 183 | St. Louis Community College–Forest Park | St. Louis, Missouri | Rodney Gaston, Windy City Inferno | ||
| 2026 | Team Presley 153, Team Hampfield 151 | Paradise Church of God in Christ Gymnasium | Forest Park, Georgia | Tymir Robinson, Stone Mountain Strong Steppers | ||
Notable alumni
Players by country
USA:
- Jean-Paul Afif
- Hameed Ali
- Malik Allen
- Anthony Anderson
- Harold Arceneaux
- Kayode Ayeni
- Toby Bailey
- Antwain Barbour
- Matt Barnes
- Turner Battle
- Corey Beck
- Charlie Bell
- Benoit Benjamin
- Corey Benjamin
- Jason Bennett
- Travarus Bennett
- Emmanuel Bibb
- Jermaine Blackburn
- Shad Blair
- David Booth
- Jeff Boschee
- Bryan Bracey
- Nick Bradford
- Odell Bradley
- Torraye Braggs
- Scott Brooks
- Damone Brown
- Kezo Brown
- Quinnel Brown
- SirValiant Brown
- Troy Brown
- Kenny Brunner
- Antonio Burks
- Cardell Butler
- Kevin Butler
- Geno Carlisle
- Antoine Carr
- Aquille Carr
- Chris Carrawell
- Zahir Carrington
- Maurice Carter
- Parrish Casebier
- Chris Cayole
- Cedric Ceballos
- Amir Celestin
- Brian Chase
- Robert Cheeks
- Eric Chenowith
- Keith Closs
- William Coleman
- DeAngelo Collins
- Dallas Comegys
- Dylon Cormier
- Schea Cotton
- Modie Cox
- Joe Cremo
- Joe Crispin
- Eric Crookshank
- Jason Crowe
- Ramel Curry
- Glen Dandridge
- Lloyd Daniels
- Ben Davis
- Kelvin Davis
- Robert Day
- Todd Day
- Derrick Dial
- Byron Dinkins
- Nate Driggers
- Dekabriean Eldridge
- Ed Elisma
- Carlos Escalera
- Tony Farmer
- Marcus Feagin
- Taurian Fontenette
- Kevin Freeman
- Jarrid Frye
- Will Funn
- Corey Gaines
- Chris Garner
- Kenny Gasana
- Eddie Gill
- Armen Gilliam
- Anthony Goldwire
- Paul Grant
- Cortez Groves
- Kyle Gupton
- Chris Hagan
- Darrin Hancock
- Tim Hardaway
- Trenton Hassell
- Juaquin Hawkins
- Rodney Hawkins
- Andrew Hayles
- Esian Henderson
- Sean Higgins
- Dametri Hill
- Jeremiah Hill
- Rico Hill
- Chris Hines
- Randy Holcomb
- Jerry Holman
- Shaheen Holloway
- Derek Hood
- Jamar Howard
- Rick Hughes
- Johnathan Ivy
- Edward "Cookie" Jarvis
- Keith Jensen
- Ashante Johnson
- DerMarr Johnson
- Matt Johnson
- Charles Jones
- Dominique Jones
- Dontae' Jones
- Kenny Jones
- Reggie Jordan
- Mark Karcher
- Jimmy King
- Julian King
- Lorenzo King
- Billy Knight
- Christian Laettner
- Trajan Langdon
- Jack Leasure
- Tyrone Levett
- Geno Lewis
- Steve Logan
- Justin Love
- Pierre Sow
- Sam Mack
- Gordon Malone
- Darrick Martin
- Dan McClintock
- Jelani McCoy
- Javon McCrea
- Jeremy McNeil
- Pete Mickeal
- Anthony Miller
- Oliver Miller
- Percy Miller
- Willie Mitchell
- Jamario Moon
- Chris Morris
- Isaiah Morris
- Lawrence Moten
- Byron Mouton
- Eric Murdock
- Tyrone Nesby
- Tyler Newton
- Ed O'Bannon
- Doug Overton
- Josh Pace
- Gerald Paddio
- Jannero Pargo
- Royce Parran
- Anthony Pelle
- Mike Penberthy
- Darren Phillip
- Chris Porter
- Rashaad Powell
- James Reaves
- Khalid Reeves
- Kareem Reid
- Eric Riley
- John Roberson
- Lawrence Roberts
- Stanley Roberts
- Ryan Robertson
- James Robinson
- Mike Robinson
- Dennis Rodman
- René Rougeau
- Trevor Ruffin
- JaRon Rush
- Kareem Rush
- Bryon Russell
- Mark Sanford
- Jason Sasser
- Akeem Scott
- DeRonn Scott
- Shea Seals
- Clayton Shields
- Paul Shirley
- Troy Simons
- Duane Simpkins
- Lazarus Sims
- Reggie Slater
- Doug Smith
- Eddie Smith
- Tony Smith
- Isaac Spencer
- Curtis Staples
- Perry Stevenson
- John Strickland
- Jayceon Taylor
- Doug Thomas
- Jamel Thomas
- Torey Thomas
- Scotty Thurman
- Clay Tucker
- Joah Tucker
- Nick VanderLaan
- David Vanterpool
- Fred Vinson
- Jermaine Walker
- Matt Walsh
- Rex Walters
- Jerod Ward
- Reginald Warren
- Jameel Watkins
- Sylvania Watkins
- C. J. Webster
- Tony Weeden
- Dominick Welch
- Bubba Wells
- Robert Whaley
- DeJuan Wheat
- Tyson Wheeler
- Davin White
- Lou White
- Donald Whiteside
- Brandon Williams
- Jason Williams
- Jerry Williams
- Larry Williams
- Richie Williams
- Tim Winn
- Terrence Woodyard
- Damian Woolfolk
- Metta World Peace
- Galen Young
Asia:
- Matt Freije
- Chen Hsin-an
- Mark Magsumbol
- Sun Mingming
- Guy Parselany
- Yoav Saffar
- Behdad Sami
- Avery Scharer
- Ha Seung-jin
- Lee Seung-jun
- Yuta Tabuse
- Sun Yue
Africa:
Americas:
Canada
- Jermaine Anderson
- Manix Auriantal
- Kelvin dela Peña
- Robby Sihota
- Christian Upshaw
- Dwight Walton
- Howard Washington
Europe:
Oceania:
Coaches
USA:
- Jean-Paul Afif
- Nate Archibald
- Isaac Austin
- Rod Baker
- Bill Bayno
- Chris Beard
- Scott Brooks
- Joe Bryant
- Wallace Bryant
- Paul Butorac
- Jason Caffey
- Don Casey
- Earl Cureton
- Darryl Dawkins
- Terry Dehere
- Bob Donewald Jr.
- Acie Earl
- Corey Gaines
- Ryan Gallo
- George Gervin
- Greg Graham
- Gary Grant
- Litterial Green
- Ron Greene
- Tim Hardaway
- Antonio Harvey
- Sean Higgins
- Bob Hoffman
- Dennis Hopson
- Richard Jacob
- Antoine Joubert
- Kevin Keathley
- Bruce Kreutzer
- Cliff Levingston
- Freddie Lewis
- Kyle Macy
- Sergio McClain
- Ashley McElhiney
- Joey Meyer
- Barry Migliorini
- DeLisha Milton-Jones
- Johnny Moore
- Ron Moore
- Richard Morton
- Hernando Planells
- Kevin Pritchard
- Jerry Reynolds
- Trevor Ruffin
- Twiggy Sanders
- Kelvin Scarborough
- Clayton Shields
- Bob Sundvold
- Dane Suttle
- LaSalle Thompson
- Ray Tolbert
- Jan van Breda Kolff
- Will Voigt
- Tirame Walker
- Teresa Weatherspoon
- Scott Wedman
- Paul Westhead
- Kevin Whitted
- Jerry Williams
- Kenny Williams
- Orlando Woolridge
- Galen Young
- Patrick Zipfel
Asia:
Africa:
Americas:
International players
| * | Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| National team | Player | Period | Appearances |
|---|---|---|---|
| USA | Christian Laettner | 1990-92 | 37 |
| USA | Tim Hardaway | 1999-00 | 18 |
| USA | Jimmy King | 1998 | 9 |
| USA | Armen Gilliam | 1986 | 8 |
| USA | Antoine Carr | 1982 | 9 |
| USA | Charlie Bell | 2005 | 10 |
| USA | Blandon Ferguson | 2001 | |
| USA | Reggie Jordan | 1993-97 | |
| USA | Byron Houston | 1999 | 5 |
| USA | Jerry Holman | 2001 | |
Related articles
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