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Charlotte team to combine sports and entertainment

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


Indianapolis, IN. The American Basketball Association (ABA) today announced new owners and an exciting new direction for its Charlotte, North Carolina professional basketball team that will begin play in November. According to Joe Newman, ABA CEO, "One of the goals of the ABA is to provide both exciting professional basketball and top flight family entertainment at affordable prices. The new ownership group has a fabulous background in both and we are really looking forward to seeing them in action. Their plans sound fantastic."

The team will be co-owned by Duane Hughes, professionally known in the music industry as "Spyder D" and a Lisa Dillard, a real estate investor. Hughes formed Spydo Music in the mid-eighties as a music publishing/production company. He was managed by Russell Simmons, a world renowned music executive and founder of the designer clothing giant, Phat Farm. Under Russell's mentorship, Duane learned a great deal about business and marketing while honing his record production skills. He successfully formed the first rap music label to be manufactured and distributed by the artist/producer himself. That label, (Newtroit Records) and the record itself, "Big Apple Rappin" went on to become what is known now as "one of the top 12" singles in rap history - and started a career to produce hit singles before managing award winning, multi-million dollar Power Play Studios in New York.

According to Hughes, "My background in music serves as the basis for launching my current endeavor, professional sports. In the 70's, I was an All Queens/Honorable Mention All City point guard for Richmond High School in New York and trained under former Detroit Pistons coach Ray Scott before succumbing to knee injuries at Eastern Michigan University. I know the game of basketball. I know marketing. And I know entertainment. The ABA and we fit perfectly."

Hughes' new product is the "Charlotte Crunk." "Crunk" is a form of music created in Atlanta and is responsible for several number one hits, including Usher's "Yeah," produced by the "King of Crunk" himself, producer/artist Lil' John. Hughes added, "The term is now pervasive throughout cultural society, especially amongst our targeted demographic of sports minded males. I am a firm believer that "entertainment is entertainment," and with that belief, we are poised to "package" a unique combination of entertainment. We know that this formula of packaging musical entertainment works because I was directly involved in what became the model for this formula. In 1985, I hosted and coordinated the very first "experiment" using this formula where I helped organize the first "after the game concert" for the NBA's Atlanta Hawks. It was a sell out. And the Hawks drew an extra 6000 fans over their average attendance due to the promotion of rap artists performing after the game for just the price of the game. We will apply these same techniques to the ABA in Charlotte - and watch us rock."

Lisa Dillard, a native of Newport News, VA currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia. She is a 1990 graduate of North Carolina A & T University with a B.S. in Accounting. Currently active in real estate investing, she is a former military officer and government contractor with a background in Operations and Strategic Planning. She commented, "Duane and I work well together - he's basketball and entertainment, I'm business 101 - ticket sales, sponsorships, community relations, good public relations. Together, we're going to create quite a presence in Charlotte - and we're really looking forward to it."

For more information, contact Mr. Hughes at 800 201 9919 or 404 713 6205 or email flyspy60@yahoo.com or Ms. Dillard at ldowntown04@yahoo.com or visit www.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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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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