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Ask the CEO

April 17, 2006 - American Basketball Association (ABA) News Release


Question from Richard W, Detroit: (paraphrased): "Do you think an ABA team could compete with an NBA team? How skilled are your players?"

Answer: Richard. Thank you for the question. I seem to be getting as many NBA questions as ABA questions. Quite honestly, I do believe that ABA teams could compete with NBA teams. I also think our rules make the game faster and more fun - and emphasize team play more. For the money, along with great high school and college games, we think its the best basketball sports entertainment value around. However, I will quote from a recent article written in the New York Times by Mike Wise. "...the multi-millionaires (NBA players) will laugh and dunk; the league's officials (NBA officials) will step to the microphones and recount again how popular the sport has become... What will go unspoken, publicly at least, is what many players, coaches, team officials and others who follow the sport are talking about among themselves: that the game - the nuts and bolts of the players as well as the sublime choreography of teamwork is ailing. League statistics show that fewer and fewer players shoot very well, and coaches and team executives believe that the fallout results in part from the proliferation of teenage players entering the National Basketball Association. A handful of teams have won barely one-fifth of their games, leaving players and coaches complaining that too many games on too many nights have been stripped of their basic competitiveness..."

"...it's a concern that has been building for several seasons, but in recent months some of the games most prominent players and coaches have spoken with remarkable bluntness about the diminished quality of all-around performance and thus of the NBA's nightly product."

There's much more - but bottom line - yes, we believe our teams are competitive and our players can compete at the highest levels. And fans can enjoy ABA basketball at family-friendly, fan-friendly affordable prices. And we sincerely believe that if the NBA would give a few of our players a chance, they could improve the quality of the teams. If you have a question, email 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.



American Basketball Association Stories from April 17, 2006


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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