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| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1995 |
| First season | 1996–97 |
| Ceased | 1998 |
| Owners | Steve Hams, Anne Cribbs and Gary Cavalli |
| CEO | Gary Cavalli |
| COO | Steve Hams (1996-97) Jim Weyermann (1998) |
| Director | Tracey Williams |
| Motto | "Real Basketball" |
| No. of teams | 9 |
| Country | United States |
| Most titles | 2 (Columbus Quest) |
| Broadcasters | SportsChannel,BET,Fox Sports Net |
| Sponsor | Reebok |
| Notes | |
| [1][2] | |
TheAmerican Basketball League, often abbreviated to theABL of 1996 was a professional women'sbasketball league in the United States. At the same time the ABL was being formed, theNational Basketball Association (NBA) was creating theWomen's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The ABL began league competition in the Fall of 1996, while the WNBA launched its first game in June 1997. Both organizations came into existence during a surge in popularity for women's basketball in the United States that followed the perfect 35–0 national championship season for theConnecticut Huskies in 1995[3] and the undefeated, gold medal-winning performance of theUnited States Women's basketball team at the1996 Summer Olympics.
The ABL lasted two full seasons: 1996–97 and 1997–98. TheAtlanta Glory andLong Beach Stingrays folded prior to the start of the 1998–99 season, and were replaced by two expansion teams, theChicago Condors andNashville Noise. On December 22, 1998, with almost no warning, the ABL declaredChapter 11 bankruptcy and suspended operations. Each team had played between 12 and 15 games of the 1998–99 season.
The ABL got off the ground before the WNBA, and at least early on its quality of play was higher than the rival league. This was partly due to the league's signing of a majority of players from the 1996 USA women's national team. Although the WNBA was bankrolled by the NBA, the ABL offered higher salaries. The two leagues did not compete directly; the ABL played during the winter while the WNBA played during the summer. However, this arrangement put the ABL in competition with the established men's NBA for an audience. Ultimately, the ABL found the WNBA's stronger financial resources—augmented by the NBA's marketing machine—to be too much to overcome.
The league operated as a single-entity structure, which was intended to control costs until it found its feet. However, it also meant that even the most basic decisions related to team operations had to go through the league office inPalo Alto, California. The ABL was also under-financed.[4]
Of all the ABL cities,Atlanta,Chicago,Portland andSeattle now have WNBA teams.
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The 1996–97 ABL All-Star Game was played on December 15, 1996, at theHartford Civic Center. The Western Conference defeated the Eastern Conference, 81–65, and the game's MVP wasTari Phillips.[5]
| Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||
| E1 | Columbus | 2 | |||||||
| W2 | San Jose | 0 | |||||||
| E1 | Columbus | 3 | |||||||
| E2 | Richmond | 2 | |||||||
| E2 | Richmond | 2 | |||||||
| W1 | Colorado | 0 | |||||||
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The 1997–98 ABL All-Star Game was played on January 18, 1998, atDisney's Wide World of Sports Complex inLake Buena Vista, Florida. The Eastern Conference defeated the Western Conference, 102–73.
| First Round | Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| E1 | Columbus | 2 | ||||||||||||
| E2 | New England | 0 | W4 | San Jose | 0 | |||||||||
| W4 | San Jose | 2 | E1 | Columbus | 3 | |||||||||
| W2 | Long Beach | 2 | ||||||||||||
| W1 | Portland | 0 | ||||||||||||
| W2 | Long Beach | 2 | W2 | Long Beach | 2 | |||||||||
| W3 | Colorado | 1 | ||||||||||||
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The 1998–99 ABL All-Star Game was scheduled to be played on January 24, 1999, inSan Jose, California, but was canceled when the league ceased operations in December 1998.[6]