The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) was a men's professional basketball minor league in the United States from 1946 to 2009.
The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the official minor league organization of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA Development League from 2005 until 2017. The league started with eight teams until NBA commissioner David Stern announced a plan to expand the NBA D-League to 15 teams and develop it into a true minor league farm system, with each NBA D-League team affiliated with one or more NBA teams in March 2005. At the conclusion of the 2013–14 NBA season, 33% of NBA players had spent time in the NBA D-League, up from 23% in 2011. As of the 2023–24 season, the league consists of 31 teams, 29 of which are either single-affiliated or owned by an NBA team, along with the NBA G League Ignite exhibition team.
Isiah Lord Thomas III, also known as "Zeke", is an American former professional basketball player, philanthropist, and coach who is an analyst for NBA TV. Widely regarded as one of the greatest point guards of all time, the 12-time NBA All-Star was named to the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams, and inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He played his entire professional career for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). From 2000 to 2012 he coached the Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, and for FIU.
The NBA Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1955–56 season to the best performing player of the regular season. Since the 2022–23 season, winners receive the Michael Jordan Trophy, named for the five-time MVP often considered the best player in NBA history.
The NBA's Defensive Player of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the best defensive player of the regular season. The winner is selected by a panel of 124 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada, each of whom casts a vote for first, second and third place selections. Each first-place vote is worth five points, second-place votes are worth three points, and a third-place vote is worth one. The player with the highest point total, regardless of the number of first-place votes, wins the award. Since the 2022–23 NBA season, winners receive the Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy, named after the two-time defensive player of the year winner.
Micheal "Sugar" Ray Richardson is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. He played college basketball for the Montana Grizzlies. The No. 4 overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft, Richardson played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for eight years with the New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors and New Jersey Nets. He was a four-time NBA All-Star, and led the league in steals in three seasons. He later became a head coach in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and National Basketball League of Canada.
David Vanterpool is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He currently serves as an assistant coach for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). During his playing career, he earned an All-EuroLeague Second Team selection during the 2003–04 season, while playing with Montepaschi Siena.
The NBA's Most Improved Player Award (MIP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the player who has shown the most progress during the regular season compared to previous seasons. The winner is selected by a panel of sportswriters throughout the United States and Canada, each of whom casts a vote for first, second and third place selections. Each first-place vote is worth five points; each second-place vote is worth three points, and each third-place vote is worth one point. The player with the highest point total, regardless of the number of first-place votes, wins the award. The criteria for selecting the most improved player was initially open-ended, but the NBA clarified in later years that it was intended for an up-and-coming player who improved dramatically and not a player who made a comeback, distinguishing it from the defunct NBA Comeback Player of the Year Award. Since the 2022–23 NBA season, winners receive the George Mikan Trophy, named after the five-time NBA champion.
Jermaine Maurice Jackson Sr. is an American former professional basketball player.
Randy Livingston is an American former professional basketball player and current coach. He played parts of eleven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for nine different teams. The national high school player in the country in 1993, Livingston's college and professional careers were marked by a series of injuries that hampered his play.
Michael Paul Beasley Jr. is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for Kansas State University for one year before declaring for the NBA draft in 2008. Beasley was the 2nd pick in the 2008 NBA draft and was selected by the Miami Heat. He is regarded as one of the best freshman college basketball players of the 2000s. Though he is ambidextrous, he shoots left-handed.
The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been selected in every season of the league's existence, dating back to its inaugural season in 1946. The All-NBA Team originally had two teams, but since 1988 it is typically composed of three five-man lineups—a first, second, and third team.
Joshua Emmanuel Akognon is a Nigerian-American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Washington State Cougars and Cal State Fullerton Titans. Standing at 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m), he played at the point guard position.
James Taft "Jimmer" Fredette is an American professional basketball player. He last played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association. Fredette was the 2011 National Player of the Year in college basketball after ranking as the leading scorer in all of NCAA Division I during his senior season for the BYU Cougars. He was subsequently selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft, but only played limited minutes across four teams over five NBA seasons. He spent the majority of the 2015–16 season in the NBA Development League, during which he won the All-Star Game MVP.
The National Basketball League of Canada was a Canadian professional men's minor league basketball organization. The NBL Canada was founded in 2011, when three existing Premier Basketball League teams joined with four new franchises for the league's inaugural season. The league changed in size multiple times and had four active teams in its final season, all in Ontario, but historically the NBLC had several located in the Atlantic provinces. The league's season typically ran from November to April of the following year. The final league champions were the London Lightning, who defeated the Windsor Express 3–2 in the 2023 NBL Finals,
Joseph Michael Young is an American professional basketball player for the Fujian Sturgeons of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). The son of former National Basketball Association (NBA) player Michael Young, he played college basketball with the Houston Cougars and later the Oregon Ducks. Young earned third-team All-American honors and was named conference player of the year in the Pac-12 as a senior with Oregon in 2015. He was selected by the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the 2015 NBA draft with the 43rd overall pick.
Akeem Ellis is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the KW Titans, in the NBL Canada.
Gordon Cavell Johnson is an American professional basketball player who last played for KW Titans of the NBL Canada. At a height of 2.05 m (6'8¾"), he plays at the power forward and center positions on the court. Johnson was named an NBL Canada All-Star in 2014, and won its Slam Dunk Contest the same season. He was often considered one of the top defenders in the league, having been named to two All-Defence Teams, and winning the NBL Canada Defensive Player of the Year Award. Johnson played college basketball at James Madison University, and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
KW Titans are a professional basketball team based in Regional Municipality of Waterloo that competes in the Basketball Super League. The team plays its home games at Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex. It was founded in 2016 by an ownership group made up of Ball Construction and a local entrepreneur, Leon Martin.
Elijah Lee Holman is an American professional basketball player for Cariduros de Fajardo of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). After playing at Richmond High School in California, Holman signed for the Indiana Hoosiers, and played one year of college basketball before transferring to Detroit Mercy for his sophomore year. After his senior season at Detroit Mercy he went undrafted in the 2012 NBA draft, and after a brief appearance in the 2012 NBA Summer League he signed with Israeli team Hapoel Eilat, where he started his professional career. He has appeared in the NBA Summer League in 2013 and 2014, but never signed for an NBA team. He has played in Israel, Turkey, Lebanon, Puerto Rico and China throughout his career.
