The Oklahoma Panthers , formerly the Southeast Texas Panthers , and Beaumont Panthers , are an American basketball team based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma , and members of The Basketball League (TBL).
29-623: From 2008 to 2011, Southeast Texas was home to a professional basketball team as a member of the ABA originally known as the Mustangs, before renaming in 2009 as the Mavericks. The team had three successful seasons and decided to become a professional basketball team. The team requested to join the NBA G League but the offer was declined. The ownership decided to sit the team out for three seasons and move
58-525: A scheme to acquire an NBA Development League franchise. At the start of the 2008–09 season , over 200 teams had folded since the league's inception. The 2008–09 season saw the Southeast Texas Mustangs franchise join the league after leaving the struggling Continental Basketball Association . The ABA attempted interleague play with the four remaining CBA teams, but their league folded mid-season. NBA scouts stopped attending
87-758: A series of exhibitions against ABA teams including the Clayton Showtime, Los Angeles Slam, Riverside Rainmakers, San Diego Surf and the West Coast All-Stars. This April 2010 series was referred to as the ABA Friendship Games. Dick Packer was named league President and COO in April 2010. After winning their second consecutive championship in 2010–11 , the Southeast Texas Mavericks publicly opined that
116-592: A venue. A proposed merger with the International Basketball League fell through in December 2000, which would have allowed the inaugural season to begin with additional teams. To attract fans, the ABA encouraged its teams to fill rosters with former NBA players and past college basketball stars that had local ties. Former NBA champion and Florida native Darryl Dawkins was recruited as
145-849: The 2004–05 ABA title in their first year of play, but then left with the Long Beach Jam to join the rival NBA Development League . The ABA welcomed the Beijing Aoshen Olympians beginning with the 2005–06 season , a club which had been banned from the Chinese Basketball League after refusing to allow star prospect Sun Yue to play for the Chinese national team . The Olympians played their home games in Maywood, California . CCTV-5 in China broadcast
174-588: The 2014–15 season . After completing a perfect season for the second time in 2014–15 and winning their fourth championship, the Shreveport-Bossier Mavericks left the ABA to join the Premier Basketball League . Joe Newman returned to the role of league President and CEO beginning with the 2015–16 season . The Jacksonville Giants drew the league's all-time record crowd of 8,987 for their 100–93 victory over
203-768: The National Basketball Association , which absorbed the American Basketball Association (1967–1976) during the ABA–NBA merger . The Women's American Basketball Association has operated as a sister league to the ABA since 2017. The league was originally co-founded by Dick Tinkham and Joe Newman in 1999 as ABA 2000 . Tinkham had previously co-founded the Indiana Pacers in the original American Basketball Association , and Newman had been an advertising executive for
232-685: The Premier Basketball League (PBL). Following the 2007–08 season , the reigning champion Vermont Frost Heaves left for the Premier Basketball League along with the Halifax Rainmen , Manchester Millrats and Quebec Kebs . Quentin Townsend, owner of the Atlanta Vision , was named league President and COO in April 2008. He was later removed from those positions after being arrested in November 2008 for defrauding investors in
261-470: The Vermont Frost Heaves , regularly penning articles in the publication about his team's inaugural campaign. John Salley and Tom Doyle attempted a boardroom coup on behalf of shareholders , with ABA's Board of Directors voting to remove Joe Newman as CEO on January 31, 2007. Newman sued Salley and Doyle, leading to a settlement in which he kept his job and forced their resignations from
290-504: The 2003–2004 season. The Knights competed in the ABA for the 2003–04 and the 2004-05 seasons before going dark for 2005–06. It was announced via a press release on the team's website that the team would suspend operations until a suburban arena was built in Johnson County, KS. The team intended to play at an interim location once ground was broken on the new arena, but plans for the arena remain in limbo and there has been no word from
319-534: The 2004–05 season. The Knights were one of the ABA's charter franchises and began play during the 2000–01 season. In 2001–02, the following season, the Knights posted a league best 35–5 record that year and ended up winning the ABA championship under head coach and University of Kansas alumnus Kevin Pritchard . Soon after winning the title, the ABA took the year off to re-organize. The ABA then resumed play in
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#1732773135697348-526: The 2022–23 season after storm damage rendered the venue for their championship game unplayable. The league employs a number of unconventional rules that are unique to the league: 109 teams completed at least one game during the 2023–24 season. The league's oldest surviving franchises are the Jersey Express (est. 2005), Georgia Gwizzlies (est. 2007), Steel City Yellow Jackets (est. 2014), and Indiana Lyons (est. 2017). Franchises that left
377-719: The 2024 season. American Basketball Association (2000%E2%80%93present) The American Basketball Association ( ABA ) is an American semi-professional men's basketball minor league that was founded in 1999. ABA teams are based in the United States, with one traveling team from Japan. The league previously had international teams based in Canada, China and Mexico. League management infamously maintains low requirements for franchise ownership, and hundreds of ABA teams have either folded or defected to rival leagues. The league licenses its name and use of ABA trademarks from
406-573: The ABA but still compete elsewhere include the Detroit Panthers ( Maximum Basketball League ), Motor City Cruise ( NBA G League ), and Newfoundland Rogues ( Basketball Super League ). USA: Asia: Africa: Americas: Canada Kansas City Knights The Kansas City Knights was the name of an American Basketball Association minor league basketball team based in Kansas City, Missouri . They have not played since
435-699: The ABA did not have adequate competition, and they left with intentions of joining the NBA Development League . However, their application to join the NBA Development League was denied, and the franchise sat out the 2011–12 and 2012–13 seasons. Consecutive titles were won by the Jacksonville Giants in their absence, with championship wins over the previously undefeated South Carolina Warriors in 2011–12 and North Dallas Vandals in 2012–13 . The team returned to
464-613: The ABA for 2013–14 as the Shreveport-Bossier Mavericks , going undefeated and winning the league title in a perfect season . At the conclusion of the 2013–14 season , over 350 franchises had folded since the league's inception. Former Arizona Scorpions owner Ron Tilley replaced Joe Newman as league President and CEO following Newman's retirement in July 2014. The league signed a two-year streaming deal with ESPN3 in August 2014 to broadcast regular season and playoff games beginning with
493-617: The Chicago Skyliners, Detroit Dogs , Indiana Legends, Kansas City Knights , Los Angeles Stars , Memphis Houn'Dawgs, San Diego Wildfire and Tampa Bay ThunderDawgs. Joe Newman founded the Indiana Legends to replace the Jacksonville Jackals, who were removed from the league after failing to secure a venue. Mark Hamister purchased the rights to a Buffalo franchise for $ 75,000, but was also unable to secure
522-526: The Pacers. The National Basketball Association (NBA), owner of the ABA trademark after absorbing many of the original league's teams, sued Tinkham and Newman in December 1999. The lawsuit was unsuccessful since the NBA had failed to actively use the ABA trademark, and the new league entered an agreement with the NBA to license the name for $ 50,000. The league began its inaugural 2000–01 season with eight teams:
551-527: The amount of teams that a league has, it's the amount that finish. —Tom Doyle, Maryland Nighthawks In preparation for the league's initial public offering ( ABKB ), former NBA player John Salley was named league commissioner and Maryland Nighthawks owner Tom Doyle was named league COO in September 2006. Cost for new franchises was subsequently raised to $ 20,000 for the 2006–07 season . Sports Illustrated writer Alexander Wolff launched
580-715: The first head coach of the Tampa Bay ThunderDawgs. The 2001–02 ABA season saw only three teams return from the inaugural season, with the Chicago Skyliners, Los Angeles Stars , Memphis Houn'Dawgs, San Diego Wildfire and Tampa Bay ThunderDawgs replaced by the Kentucky Pro Cats, Las Vegas Slam, Phoenix Eclipse and Southern California Surf. Joe Newman folded the Indiana Legends after he was sued by eight former players in August 2002 for failing to pay their salaries. Newman had claimed $ 1 million in losses over two seasons of ownership. The 2002–03 season
609-436: The league when he signed with the Long Beach Jam , leading them to an ABA title in their first season. The 2004–05 season saw franchise fees lowered from $ 50,000 to $ 10,000, and the bond requirement removed in order to attract new teams. Teams were subsequently organized into regional groups to facilitate interest and reduce travel costs, with 37 clubs competing that season in three divisions. The Arkansas RimRockers won
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#1732773135697638-528: The league's games in January 2009, citing the amount of cancelled and forfeited contests. Several teams folded during the 2009–10 season , including the entire Pacific Northwest Division. The San Francisco Rumble forfeited their playoff game against the Southeast Texas Mavericks , as they could not afford to travel for the contest. Gilas Pilipinas , the Philippine national basketball team, competed in
667-615: The league. The 2006–07 season concluded with the defending champion Rochester Razorsharks withdrawing from the league after they asked to reschedule a playoff game against the Wilmington Sea Dawgs , but were denied and told to forfeit. Following this incident, the Hammond Rollers , Jacksonville Jam , Maryland Nighthawks , Quad City Riverhawks and Wilmington Sea Dawgs joined the Razorsharks in forming
696-597: The previously unbeaten Chicago Steam at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena on January 16, 2016. It had been reported the week prior that the Orlando Magic was considering adopting the Giants as their NBA Development League affiliate, although later in the year they instead moved their existing affiliate Erie BayHawks to Lakeland, Florida . A sister league, the Women's American Basketball Association (WABA),
725-481: The team to Shreveport, Louisiana in 2013. On June 4, 2021 The Basketball League announced the Beaumont Panthers, led by retired professional basketball player Kendrick Perkins and his cousin, Jay McDonald, as an expansion team for the 2022 season. On April 3. 2023, it was announced that the team would be relocated to Oklahoma for the end of the season with the hope of returning to Beaumont for
754-508: The team's first perfect season and third in ABA history. A play-in tournament was implemented beginning with the 2021–22 season to determine which teams would advance to the divisional round of the playoffs. Following elimination from the 2021–22 playoffs by the Steel City Yellow Jackets , the Jacksonville Giants ceased operations. The Burning River Buckets and Indiana Lyons were declared co-champions of
783-604: The team's games, where they were watched by an average of 15 million people. Following the 2005–06 season in which many teams failed to complete their full schedules and became insolvent, the Charlotte Krunk , Florida Pit Bulls , Indiana Alley Cats , Pittsburgh Xplosion , San Jose Skyrockets and SoCal Legends left to join the rival Continental Basketball Association . My idea of success and Newman's differ. I'd rather have fewer teams, that are stable and last, as opposed to having tons that continue to fold. It's not
812-565: Was launched in 2017. Jersey Express owner Marsha Blount was named the league's President and CEO. The 2017–18 season saw franchise fees lowered to $ 2,500. League co-founder Dick Tinkham died of muscular dystrophy in October 2018. The 2019–20 season was ended prematurely and the playoffs cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The undefeated Jacksonville Giants captured their seventh and final championship in 2020–21, concluding
841-597: Was not played, as the league suspended operations for reorganization. Jim Clark, owner of the Kansas City Knights , was named league president and COO in November 2002. The league resumed play with seven teams for the 2003–04 season . The returning Kansas City Knights were joined by the Fresno Heatwave , Jersey Squires, Las Vegas Rattlers, Juárez Gallos de Pelea , Long Beach Jam and Tijuana Dragons. Dennis Rodman brought national attention to
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