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September 16, 2005 - American Basketball Association (ABA) News Release


Question from Mario in LA: "Would the ABA be willing to challenge the NBA to an exhibition game with the proceeds going to the Hurricane Katrina Relief Funds?"

Answer: Wow. What a question. First, let me say that the NBA, NBA teams and NBA players have been very generous in their support of the Hurricane Katrina Relief efforts including, but not limited to, having played an exhibition game with some of their finest players. The NBA has been great.

Would we be willing to challenge them to a game with the proceeds going to the relief fund? In a heartbeat. We would be willing to play at any NBA venue or at one of our largest venues like Miami or Pittsburgh or Los Angeles. We'd play in Yankee Stadium. If we played at one of our venues, the ABA would pay the full cost of the venue and all of the promotion involved. We would include all of the sponsorship money in the proceeds and if the NBA could use its vast contacts to have the game televised, we would include all of the revenue from that in the relief fund.

However, the one thing that we would insist upon is that the ticket prices are fan-friendly and affordable to all - perhaps a flat rated $20 per ticket. With capacity of 18,000, this would generate $360,000 before sponsorships, TV and other income. Further, if the NBA would do this, the ABA would donate $50,000 to start the fund.

Done well, done properly, we believe an ABA/NBA exhibition game could generate over a million dollars for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. (As an aside, this would be valuable to the ABA from a PR standpoint, but certainly not the primary reason for the game - the relief fund and hurricane victims would be the real beneficiaries). Of course, it's up to the NBA. I hope this answers your question. If you have a question, write joenewman@abalive.com.

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.

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American Basketball Association Stories from September 16, 2005


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.


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