ABA Announces First Four Expansion Cities
Published on January 21, 2004 under American Basketball Association (ABA) News Release
Indianapolis, IN. Joe Newman, Co-Founder of the ABA, today announced that the first four expansion cities for the 2004 season. They are Pittsburgh PA, Portland OR, Little Rock AR, and Louisville KY. According to Newman, "All four ownership groups have completed the application process and are preparing to begin operations. All four are scheduling press conferences in February to announce team names, coaches, venues and other important information."
Newman also stated, "We have additional teams in the final stages of the application process and plan to announce these cities in the weeks to come. One thing is for sure - there is tremendous interest in the ABA. With the addition of these new teams, we believe that we can set up divisional play next season, increase the rivalries and reduce travel considerably."
Jim Clark, ABA CEO added, "It is obvious that fans are enjoying the ABA games. Attendance is increasing. The seven teams are playing a fast-paced, exciting brand of basketball. We are building a strong fan and sponsor base with the local markets and the response on a national and international level has exceeded our expectations. The ten-panel ball from Rawlings has received a great response from teams, fans, and major retailers. We are also thrilled by the number of former NBA and ABA players that are looking to get involved in the ABA this season and next from a promotion and ownership perspective. The addition of Jellybean Bryant, Master P and Dennis Rodman and other high profile people have certainly had a positive effect."
Note: OurSports Central no longer actively covers the American Basketball Association (ABA) as a professional league due in part to its inability to publish and play a schedule and the transitory nature of many of its teams. For information on professional minor leagues, please see OSC's basketball section.
American Basketball Association Stories from January 21, 2004
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
