The Basketball League


The Basketball League, formerly North America Premier Basketball, 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 (North America)|Basketball Super League].

History

In July 2017, Dave Magley and Severko Hrywnak announced the formation of North America Premier Basketball. Magley previously served as commissioner for the National Basketball League of Canada, and Hrywnak was co-founder of the Premier Basketball League.
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.
After the first season, Dave Magley and his wife Evelyn acquired the league as sole owners, and rebranded as The Basketball League. Paul Mokeski was named commissioner of the league for its 2019 season, which commenced with ten teams. The league's second season was ended prematurely, as many teams were struggling financially. In a rematch from the prior year, the Albany Patroons defeated the Yakima SunKings in a best-of-three series to become TBL champions. 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.
The 2020 season began with twelve teams, but ended prematurely with no playoffs held due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Carlnel Wiley replaced Paul Mokeski as league commissioner prior to this season.
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.
National Basketball League of Canada teams engaged in interleague play with TBL franchises during the 2022 season, including the 2022 TBL All-Star Game. Forty-four teams competed that season, and the Shreveport Mavericks defeated the Albany Patroons in a best-of-three series to become TBL champions.
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.
After the dissolution of NBLC following their 2022–23 season, Dave Magley announced the formation of the Basketball Super League, whose teams would engage in interleague play with TBL franchises beginning in 2024. 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.
The current entry fee for a TBL franchise is $600,000, payable on installment, along with a $10,000 annual fee for officiating. 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.

Teams

DivisionTeamCityArenaCapacityFoundedJoinedHead coach
Eastern Conference-------
Eastern ConferenceDC HeatNorthern VirginiaTBA20252026TBA
Eastern ConferenceDMV SoldiersCharles County, Maryland20242026
Eastern ConferenceFayetteville LibertyCrown Coliseum 20242026
Eastern ConferenceFirst State MisfitsDelawareTBATBA20252026TBA
Eastern ConferenceFlorida FlightDavie, FloridaTBA1,13520252026TBA
Eastern ConferenceHalifax HoopersHalifax, Nova ScotiaZatzman Sportsplex3,00020242025Augy Jones
Eastern ConferenceJacksonville 95ersJacksonville, FloridaFirst Coast High School1,50020232024Dwane Joshua
Eastern ConferenceKissimmee LambsKissimmee, FloridaPoinciana High School3,1002023 2026
Eastern ConferenceLehigh Valley FlightAllentown, PennsylvaniaTBA20252026TBA
Eastern ConferenceNew England KrakenBoston, Massachusetts1,13520252026TBA
Eastern ConferenceNewfoundland RoguesSt John's, NewfoundlandMary Brown's Centre6,7502021 2026-
Eastern ConferencePort City Power20242026
Eastern ConferenceRaleigh FirebirdsRaleigh, North CarolinaSt. Augustine's University75020182019TBA
Eastern ConferenceTampa Bay TitansTampa, FloridaTBA20202025TBA
Eastern ConferenceTri City TideMoncton, New BrunswickCrandall University60020242025Rob Spon
Eastern ConferenceTri-State AdmiralsElizabeth, New JerseySaint Elisabeth University20202020Daniel Jacob
Midwest-------
MidwestColumbus WizardsWesterville, OhioRike Center3,1002023 2026
MidwestCrawfordsville CommandersCrawfordsville, IndianaOld Crawfordsville High School20252026TBA
MidwestGlass City WranglersToledo, OhioGlass City Center2024
MidwestGrove City WhitetailsGrove City, OhioCentral Crossing High School3,10020252026-
MidwestKokomo BobKatsKokomo, Indiana Memorial Gymnasium5,20020202021Chandler Levingston Simon
MidwestLake County LegacyLake County, IllinoisWaukegan High School20242025
MidwestLebanon LeprechaunsLebanon, IndianaThe Farmers Bank Fieldhouse20212022John Benson
MidwestHamilton County HuskersArcadia, Indiana20252026Doug Mitchell
MidwestSt. Louis GriffinsSt. Louis, MissouriNormandy High School
Saint Louis Priory School		20222023Nate Griffin
CentralADS SentinelsSan Antonio, TexasADS Sportsplex20252026-
CentralCYM LeopardsLake Dallas, Texas20202026
CentralEnid OutlawsEnid, OklahomaStride Bank Center5,00020202021Burshaud Williams
CentralLittle Rock LightningLittle Rock, ArkansasHall High School20202021Brian Rowsom
CentralPotawatomi FireShawnee, OklahomaFireLake Arena5,00020212022Mark Dannhoff
West4 Bears RoarNew Town, North Dakota4 Bears Casino Event Center1,50020252026Wayne Casey
WestGC Red TailsDesert Aire, WashingtonTBA20252026TBA
WestGreat Falls ElectricGreat Falls, MontanaGreat Falls High School20232024Steve Keller
WestMesa MonsoonsMesa, ArizonaTBA20252026TBA
WestNevada SilverbacksLas Vegas, NevadaTBA20252026TBA
WestTri Cities Sun DevilsDesert Aire, WashingtonTBA20252026TBA
WestWillamette Valley JaguarsWillamette Valley, OregonCorvallis High School
Crescent Valley High School
McArthur Court		1,050
Unknown
9,087		20232024John Tyson
West-------
West-------

Seasons

'' Shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Indy Express had the best overall record at the time of cancellation.''