The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball minor league in the United States from 1946 to 2009.
The United States Basketball League (USBL) was a professional men's spring basketball league. The league was formed in 1985 and ceased operations in 2008. The USBL started in 1985 as one of the first basketball leagues to play a late-spring to early-summer schedule. The league quickly became known as a development league for players, with many players moving up to the National Basketball Association (NBA) and many more playing in Europe after stints here. In 1996, the league made a stock offering, a rarity among sports leagues. However, in later years, the league declined as rival leagues appeared and USBL had a tougher time replacing teams that folded. In the last two seasons, the league was mainly a midwestern league, with teams mainly in Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. After speculation that the USBL might fold after the 2007 season, the league announced that it would sit out the 2008 season and consider its options for the future. In January 2010, the league expressed hopes to resume play in April 2010. However, no further news has surfaced from the league. The final champions are the Kansas Cagerz, who won the title game on July 1, 2007.
Richard Francis Dennis Barry III is an American retired professional basketball player who starred at the NCAA, American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) levels. Barry ranks among the most prolific scorers and all-around players in basketball history. He is the only one to lead the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), ABA, and NBA in points per game in a season. He ranks as the all-time ABA scoring leader in regular season and postseason (33.5) play, while his 36.3 points per game are the most in the NBA Finals history. Barry was also the only player to score at least 50 points in a Game 7 of the playoffs in either league until Stephen Curry and Jayson Tatum both reached that mark in 2023. He is one of only four players to be a part of a championship team in both leagues.
Devin LaVell Brown is an American former professional basketball shooting guard who played 8 seasons in the National Basketball Association. Brown won an NBA championship as a member of the San Antonio Spurs in 2005.
Billy Thomas is an American former professional basketball player who competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and several other leagues. A 6'5" tall shooting guard from Shreveport, Louisiana, he last played with the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Development League. Billy Thomas is now the basketball head coach of Rockhurst High School
Michael Adams is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played college basketball for the Boston College Eagles and was a third-round selection in the 1985 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings. Adams played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Kings, Washington Bullets, Denver Nuggets and Charlotte Hornets. He was an NBA All-Star with the Bullets in 1992.
Anthony George Douglas Mason was an American professional basketball player. In his 13-year career he played with the New Jersey Nets, Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Charlotte Hornets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association. He averaged 10.8 points and 8.3 rebounds in his 13-year NBA career. Mason earned the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in 1995 and led the NBA in minutes played in the following two seasons. In 1997, he was named to the All-NBA Third Team and the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. He was selected to the 2001 NBA All-Star Game. Mason was a member of the 1993-1994 New York Knicks team that reached the NBA Finals.
Lanard Copeland is an American-Australian professional basketball coach and former player. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, he played in the National Basketball League (NBL) from 1992 to 2008.
Edward Lee Johnson Jr. was an American professional basketball player. He played 10 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) – mainly as a member of the Atlanta Hawks – from 1977 to 1987. Johnson was a two-time NBA-All-Star with the Hawks in 1980 and 1981, and earned two nominations to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 1979 and 1980. He was nicknamed "Fast Eddie" for his speed and quickness on the court.
Ronnie Fields is an American former professional basketball player.
Leon Smith is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Continental Basketball Association, the USBL and the IBL, and abroad in Puerto Rico and Argentina.
Eddie Carl Nealy is an American retired basketball player. At 6'7" and 238 pounds, he played as a power forward. After a standout college career, during which he won the Big Eight tournament title in 1980, he went on to play professionally for 11 years. During his professional career, he won the Continental Basketball Association championship in 1986 as a member of the Tampa Bay Thrillers and the NBA championship in 1993 as a member of the Chicago Bulls.
Brian Martin is an American former professional basketball player, who had a brief career in the NBA. Born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, he attended Hutchinson Community College and the University of Kansas.
Ronnie L. Valentine is an American former professional basketball player.
Steven Leonard Hayes is an American former basketball player and coach. He played for several years for a variety of teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as well as in the Continental Basketball Association and in Europe. He is also known for his standout college career at Idaho State University, where he is recognized as one of the best players in the school's history.
Eric Clifton Turner is an American retired professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines.
Anthony Lamont Richardson is an American former professional basketball player. He was one of the top prospects of the high school class of 2001, being named North Carolina Mr. Basketball and a McDonald's All-American. He played 4 years of college basketball for the Florida State Seminoles, and went undrafted in the 2005 NBA draft. He then earned an all-star selection in the CBA and was named the 2007 USBL Player of the Year while also leading the league in scoring. He played 9 years of professional basketball in Germany, Japan, South Korea, the Netherlands and in the NBA D-League.
Aubrey Lamar Reese is an American former professional basketball player. A 6-foot point guard, he played college basketball at Murray State for 3 years, being named the OVC Player of the Year in 2000. After going undrafted in the 2000 NBA draft he started his professional career in the USBL in 2000, and the following season he was named the USBL Player of the Year. He then moved to Europe, and in 2003 he was the top scorer of the LNB Pro A in France. He has played in several countries in Asia and Europe, including France, Germany, Israel, Russia and Turkey.
Joe Dawson is an American-Israeli former professional basketball player. He played high school basketball at Druid High School in his native Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and played four years of college basketball for the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, leading the team in scoring and rebounding multiple times and was an all-conference selection. After going undrafted in the 1982 NBA draft, he started his professional career in the Continental Basketball Association, and was selected as an all-star in each of the three seasons he played there. After a brief experience in the USBL he moved abroad, playing in Venezuela and France. In 1987 he had his first experience in the Israeli league with Hapoel Holon: he would play in Israel for 14 seasons, leading the league in both scoring and rebounding in 1992. He was named the 1992 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP. He was inducted in the Southern Miss Hall of Fame in 2011, and is the father of professional basketball player Shawn Dawson.
Jermaine Edward Guice is an American former professional basketball player. He played high school basketball at Westerville South High School in Westerville, Ohio, and played college basketball with the Butler Bulldogs, staying for four years and leading the team in scoring for two consecutive seasons. After going undrafted in the 1994 NBA draft, he started his professional career in the Continental Basketball Association. After playing in Portugal and Israel as well as in minor leagues in the United States, Guice moved to France where he was a three-time All-Star selection, MVP in 2005 and won the league title in 2006.
