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.
Darryl R. Dawkins was an American professional basketball player and coach. He was particularly known for his tenure with the National Basketball Association's Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets, although he also played briefly for the Detroit Pistons and Utah Jazz late in his career. His nickname, "Chocolate Thunder", was bestowed upon him by Stevie Wonder. He was known for his powerful dunks, which led to the NBA adopting breakaway rims due to him shattering a backboard on two occasions in 1979.
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.
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.
Clifford Eugene Levingston is an American professional basketball coach and former player.
Easton Area High School is a large four-year public high school located in Easton, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley area of eastern Pennsylvania. It is part of the Easton Area School District.
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.
Keith Mitchell Closs Jr. is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Santiago Basket Titanes of the Laliga de Campeones (LDC). He played at the center position.
Charles MacArthur Kornegay Uzzell is a former professional basketball player. Born in the United States, he played for the Spain national team. The 2.06 m, 107 kg power forward gained notoriety at Villanova University, before going on to star for the Raleigh Cougars of the USBL, and ultimately overseas. Cougars fans called him the "Chuck-wagon", "Chuck Diesel" and "Korn-dawg".
Ousmane Cisse is a Malian retired professional basketball player. Standing at 6' 9" he played both power forward and center positions. In 2005-06 he was the top rebounder in the Israel Basketball Premier League, as well as the Israeli Basketball Premier League Defensive Player of the Year.
The Lehigh Mountain Hawks are the athletic teams representing Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The Hawks participate in NCAA Division I competition as a member of the Patriot League. In football, Lehigh competes in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
Joseph Steven Crispin is an American college men's basketball assistant coach at Penn State University. He was previously head coach of the Rowan University Profs from 2016 to 2023.
Lawrence Abney is an American former professional basketball player who is currently the head coach of the Saskatchewan Rattlers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). Born in Nyack, New York, he was nicknamed Birdman throughout his career for his athleticism.
The history of professional baseball in Allentown, Pennsylvania dates back 138 years, starting with the formation of the Allentown Dukes in 1884 and continuing through the present with its hosting of the Allentown-based Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Triple-A Minor League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball, who play at Coca-Cola Park on the city's East Side.
Edward Howard "Eddie" Lucas is an American retired professional basketball player and current production manager for Highland Construction in Fayetteville NC
Leonard White is an American former professional basketball player. He is listed at 6'7" and weighed 224 lbs. Born in Century, Florida, White started playing collegiate ball with the Faulkner State Community College (1989–1991) and is still the all-time leading scorer of the Sun Chiefs with a 22.7 ppg average. He later transferred to Southern University (1991–1993) and led the Jaguars in scoring his last two years there. White entered the 1993 NBA draft and was picked 53rd in the second round by the Los Angeles Clippers; however, he was not signed and never got to play in the NBA. He played a few games in the French professional league in Pau Orthez but it is in the CBA where White will be making his mark in his professional basketball career as one of the league leaders in statistics for games played, minutes played, scoring, rebounds and steals. White has played for the San Diego Wildcards, Grand Rapids Hoops, Rockford Lightning, Sioux Falls Skyforce and Yakama Sun Kings, where he helped them win back-to-back CBA championships. He has also taken his game to the USBL with the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs, the IBL with the Tacoma Jazz and overseas notably in Venezuela. In the off-season, White coaches high school basketball in Florida.
Isaac Spencer, is an American professional basketball player. At 6'6", he played as a forward.
Shaheen Holloway is an American men's basketball coach and former player who is the coach for the Seton Hall Pirates. He played college basketball at Seton Hall from 1996 to 2000. A point guard, Holloway played professionally for seven seasons. He served as the head coach for the Saint Peter's Peacocks from 2018 to 2022, where he led the 15th seed Peacocks to the Elite Eight in the 2022 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament. As head coach of Seton Hall, he led the top-seeded Pirates to the 2024 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) championship.
The New Jersey ShoreCats were a professional basketball team in the United States Basketball League (USBL) from 1998 to 2000. The team was based in Asbury Park, New Jersey and played home games at Asbury Park Convention Hall.
Bryan Gates is an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers since 2023. Gates began his coaching experience with the Idaho Stampede and the Rapid City Thrillers during the late 1990s. In the United States Basketball League, Gates was the head coach for the Oklahoma Storm and the Florence Flyers during the 2000s. During this time period, Gates and the Storm reach the league's championship game during 2000.
