International Basketball League
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The International Basketball League (IBL) was a short lived professional basketball league in the United States. The IBL was headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. The league started in 1999 and ended in 2001.
The teams of the IBL were the:
- Baltimore Bayrunners
- Cincinnati Stuff
- Richmond Rhythm
- Trenton Shooting Stars
- Las Vegas Silver Bandits
- New Mexico Slam
- San Diego Stingrays
- Saint Louis Swarm
- Sioux Falls Skyforce
- Rockford Lightning
- Grand Rapids Hoops
- Connecticut Pride
- Gary Steelheads
The International Basketball League was founded in early 1998 and made plans to begin play in fall of that year. The first season did not quite meet expectations with attendance, but the league was still largely functional, with the Saint Louis Swarm winning the first championship. The second season was significantly rougher, with the league losing the Baltimore and San Diego franchises and merging with teams from the CBA after that league folded early in 2000. The Swarm won the championship of that league in the second season, and although the league had stated that it would return for a third season, this was not to be the case, and all the teams folded soon after the season ended, although the teams from the former CBA ultimately restarted the CBA the following year. Although the league had some innovations suchs as playing the international three point line and trapezoid lane, and with the intention to offer professional basketball and more reasonable ticket prices, the cost structure of the league was simply too great for the revenue and attendance figures that it received.
See also: Continental Basketball Association