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 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.
The Gary Steelheads were a professional basketball team. They played in the International Basketball League (IBL), Continental Basketball Association (CBA), and the United States Basketball League (USBL). They were based in Gary, Indiana, United States, and played their home games at the Genesis Convention Center. The Steelheads were the 2006 CBA Eastern Conference champions.
The Oklahoma Storm was a United States Basketball League (USBL) team in Enid, Oklahoma. Founded by sports agent and attorney James Sears Bryant, the Storm successfully captured the USBL championship under head coach Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 2002, defeating Kansas with a final score of 122–109. The team played its home games at Mark Price Arena and the Chisholm Trail Expo Center. The Oklahoma Storm disbanded following the 2007 season when the USBL dissolved.
The Albany Patroons are a professional basketball team that plays in The Basketball League (TBL). Previously, the team competed in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and in the United States Basketball League (USBL). The Patroons won CBA championships in 1984 and 1988 as well as a TBL championship in 2019. The team's name derives from patroon, the term for a large landholders in New Netherland, the Dutch colony that once included the Albany region.
The Brooklyn Kings were a United States Basketball League franchise in Brooklyn, New York. They played in Downtown Brooklyn, on the main campus of Long Island University. Formed in 1999, the league suspended operations after the 2007 season and the team has been inactive since then. The team took their name from Kings County, which is a name coextensive with the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
Samuel Lee Worthen is an American former NBA player who currently is touring as the coach of the Washington Generals, the team that perennially loses to the Harlem Globetrotters. He was well known for his play at the Rucker Park Tournament.
During the 1997 United States Basketball League season, the ownership group, Sports Management Professionals, (SMP) led by Richard J. Donovan and James I. Williamson, assumed ownership of the Tampa Bay Windjammers. In response to this effort by SMP, the United States Basketball League awarded a franchise for the 1998 season to SMP. That franchise would become known as the Columbus Cagerz. The team would play for one year in Columbus, Ohio. Following that inaugural season, the franchise was moved to Salina, Kansas. The Kansas Cagerz were a United States Basketball League team based in Salina, Kansas beginning in 1999. SMP would manage the Kansas Cagerz franchise for two years in Kansas. The last head coach was Francis Flax. The Kansas Cagerz won the USBL Championship in 2007 after defeating the Brooklyn Kings 95–92 in Enid, Oklahoma. The USBL's last season was in 2007.
The Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs were a United States Basketball League team located in Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. It operated from 1999 to 2006.
Kevin M. Stacom is a retired American professional basketball player.
The Rhode Island Gulls was a team in the United States Basketball League (USBL) based in Warwick, Rhode Island during the 1985 and 1987 seasons.
Brian Matthew Chase is an American professional basketball player who last played for Olimpia Basket Matera of the Serie A2 Basket.
Cedrick Banks is an American former professional basketball player who last played for Cholet Basket of the LNB Pro A.
The Philadelphia Aces were a United States Basketball League team that played from 1987 to 1988 and in 1990.
The Philadelphia Spirit was a United States Basketball League team that played from 1991 to 1992 at Holy Family University in Northeast Philadelphia.
Rex Thomas Morgan was an American professional basketball player and coach. He was drafted in the second round of the 1970 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics and played two seasons with the team in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a shooting guard.
Brian Ehlers is an American former professional basketball player who is best known for his collegiate career at Lafayette College from 1996–97 to 1999–2000. He then played professionally for two seasons in Europe before retiring from the sport to become a police officer in his hometown of Bay Shore, New York since 2007.
The Atlantic City Seagulls were a professional basketball team based in Atlantic City, New Jersey. They played 6 seasons in the United States Basketball League (USBL), winning 3 consecutive league titles between 1997 and 1999.
The Connecticut Skyhawks were a men's spring-professional basketball team in the United States Basketball League.
The Springfield Fame were a men's spring-professional basketball team in the United States Basketball League from Springfield, Massachusetts, the hometown of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, which gave the inspiration of the team name.
The Long Island Surf were a professional basketball team based in Long Island, New York. They played 14 seasons in the United States Basketball League (USBL).
