Forbes Magazine: Deon Taylor/ABA/New Pro League
The NBA dissed the wannabe pro basketball players of Hollywood, dumping its NBA Hollywood League. But now the entertainers, directors, producers, elected officials, business professionals, ex-NBA, NFL, MLB and collegiate athletes who participated in that League are warming up for a new court battle. In two weeks, September 10th, the new Entertainment League kicks off. It’s a division of the American Basketball Association (ABA) ,ABA Classics. ABA Classics was the brainchild of Deon Taylor, a former professional basketball player in Germany, who now makes horror films through Deon Taylor Entertainment and heads up Ether Sports Marketing & Consultancy. He teamed up with J. Erving, son of legendary basketball star Julius Erving, as well as recently retired NFL star of 14 years Ephraim Salaam and veteran sports, entertainment and media attorney & executive Jeffrey Benz to give celebrities a new basketball venue after the NBA pulled their sponsorship of the League.
“It’s going to be like celebrity basketball on steroids,” laughs Taylor. “We’ll have live DJs playing music during the games as well as a red, white and blue basketball, keeping in line with ABA tradition.
They’re also working on a television deal to launch an ESPN-style weekly show that features highlights of all the Entertainment League games.
Aside from the Entertainment League, ABA Classics is trying to draw more attention to the ABA’s more than 50 teams, which are comprised of former collegiate stars and former NBA players, who either didn’t make the cut, or retired from the sport’s most prominent League. The ABA isn’t the original organization that was formed in 1967 and later merged with the NBA during the 1975-1976 season. It was started up by Joe Newman and Richard Tinkham in 1999. The League has struggled to get sponsorships over the years and the number of fans can’t compare to that of the NBA. For example, it’s 2011 All-Star game drew fewer than 5,000 fans at at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. That’s compared to the crowd of 17,163 at the 2011 NBA All-Star game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA.
But Taylor and his team at NBA Classics is determined to use the NBA lockout to attract a wider audience and the television spotlight. They’re forming an elite series of 16 teams with the best-of-the-best players in the ABA, and working on a television package, with an undisclosed network, that would compete during the summer months, mainly during the NBA off-season. They’re hoping to sell the teams to and currently have interest in ownership from celebrities and top executives at multi-billion dollar corporations. But they have to move quickly to seal the deal with the network and secure their teams if they want to take advantage of the NBA lockout. They’ve had quite a bit of interest from NBA players to participate in the league to stay in shape during the negotiations, which would help catapult the ABA back into the spotlight.
‘We’ve had many calls from our teams and NBA players as well as their agents/reps about the use of NBA players during the lockout,’ stated Dick Packer , ABA President/COO. ‘We definitely welcome having NBA players on our teams. It is a great way for them to stay in shape and to play competitively as well as being able to play in the US. We decided not to include NBA players added to rosters under the salary cap or the 12-man roster limitation. We do not want the exemption to cost any ABA players their positions on their team. This exemption will exist during the NBA lockout only.’ Packer added, ‘As an example, I received an email from a Player Representative saying,…’…my client, xxxx was drafted in the second round by the xxxxxx in this year’s NBA draft. We are looking at options to keep him playing during the NBA lockout. The ABA represents a very interesting and viable option for some of my clients…I would like to get in touch in regards to possibilities. Thanks.’ ‘I spoke with the rep who has over 40 NBA players and we are going to work together to find teams for the players during the lockout.’
So at the very least, ABA Classics is planning to hold an All-Star event in October, and is hoping to have some exhibition games as well this Fall, if all goes well. Ultimately, ABA Classics isn’t trying to compete directly with the NBA. Although, realistically they are and the NBA could easily put the organization out of business as it did during the merger in the 70’s.
“But while the lockout is happening, we figured it’s the perfect time to give basketball fans a glimpse at what we’re doing and will have for them more next summer,” explains Taylor.
hell yah! get it done D so I have some games to watch this season!
Super idea and concept Deon! Will the league be solely based in L.A. or will teams travel to play games? Will we get games here in Sac?