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.
Mario Antoine Elie is an American former professional basketball coach and player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Elie grew up in New York City and played college basketball at American International College, before being drafted in the seventh round of the 1985 NBA draft as the 160th overall pick by the Milwaukee Bucks.
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.
God Shammgod, formerly known as Shammgod Wells, is an American basketball coach and former professional player. He is currently a player development coach with the Dallas Mavericks. He played in the NBA with the Washington Wizards during 1997–98 after being drafted by them in the second round of the 1997 NBA draft. He played in the Chinese Basketball Association for several teams, including the Zhejiang Cyclones and Shanxi Yujun. He also played professionally in Poland and Saudi Arabia. Despite a brief NBA career, he is well-remembered as the progenitor and namesake of a widely used crossover dribble, the "Shammgod", although the move, known in Europe as "The Whip", was already used earlier by former Yugoslavian players Dragan Kicanovic and Danko Cvjeticanin and later popularized by Dejan Bodiroga.
Lionel Eugene Hollins is an American professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A point guard, Hollins played for the Portland Trail Blazers, winning an NBA championship in 1977 and named an NBA All-Star in 1978. The Trail Blazers retired his No. 14.
Eric Musselman is an American college basketball coach who is the current head men's basketball coach at the University of Arkansas. He is the former head coach of the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Between head coaching stints at Golden State and Sacramento, Musselman served as an assistant for the Memphis Grizzlies under Mike Fratello. He moved to the college coaching ranks in 2012 as an assistant at Arizona State. From 2014–19, he was the head coach for the Nevada Wolf Pack. The son of former NBA head coach Bill Musselman, Eric Musselman was a head coach in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) before becoming an assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Orlando Magic, and Atlanta Hawks.
Kevin Mackey is a former head coach of men's basketball at Cleveland State University. His CSU Vikings upset the Indiana Hoosiers and the Saint Joseph's Hawks to make the Sweet 16 in the 1986 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. He is also known for recruiting future NBA player Manute Bol.
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.
The Maine Windjammers were a professional basketball team based out of Bangor, Maine, playing home games at the Bangor Auditorium. It was affiliated with the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). It existed during the CBA's 1985–86 season. After that season, the team was dropped, and it would be a decade before a basketball team would return to Maine, with the Portland Wave, a team in the USBL.
Dave Duke is an American basketball coach who was most recently an assistant coach at Temple University.
The Maine Celtics are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Portland, Maine, and are affiliated with the Boston Celtics. The Maine Celtics play their home games at the Portland Expo Building. The team debuted in the 2009–10 season as the Maine Red Claws and have since won three division titles. The Boston Celtics purchased the franchise in July 2019 from Maine Basketball, LLC, a company chaired by William Ryan Jr., and renamed the team the Maine Celtics in 2021.
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.
Patricia "Trish" Roberts is an American basketball coach and former player. She was most recently the head coach of the women's basketball team at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia.
Isaac Spencer, is an American professional basketball player. At 6'6", he played as a forward.
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 New Jersey Jammers, known also as the Jersey Jammers, was a professional basketball in the United States Basketball League (USBL). The team was a charter franchise of the USBL in 1985.
Brian Derreck Reese is a former professional basketball player and current assistant coach at Monmouth. He was a 6'6" player from the Bronx, NY. Reese went to High School at St. Nicholas of Tolentine High School where he was a McDonald's All-American.
The New Jersey ShoreCats was 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.
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.
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).
