Category: Basketball

With apologies to the NBA – which I dearly love – the American Basketball Association is my all-time favorite roundball league.

High-flying, high-scoring athletes bouncing red, white and blue balls and then pulling up from 25-feet for a 3-pointer … it was fantastic.

And like many professional sports leagues that have come and gone, it had a brief flirtation with Birmingham.

The first tease came in January, 1972, when it was announced that the Kentucky Colonels and Pittsburgh Condors would play a regular season game at Birmingham’s Municipal Auditorium that March.

Dennis Lathem, a Birmingham native and group services manager for the ABA’s Dallas Chaparrals, said the game could serve as a “barometer” for the city’s chance at getting a franchise either through expansion or relocation.

“The ABA is expanding,” Lathem told the Birmingham Post-Herald. “But also, there is the possibility that some franchises will be moved in the near future. What it will take to get a team in here is first, the money. When I say money, I mean about a couple of million dollars from the owners of the franchise. A team that Is already playing in a city could be brought here for between one-and-a-half to two million.

“That’s not too much.”

He said there was a possibility the Chaparrals could play multiple games in Birmingham in the 1972-73 season.

“We play 40 games on the road and another 42 at home, so if we play a game or two in Birmingham, we’ll get a guarantee of the gate or other arrangements.”

If any team decided to pull up stakes, the Condors figured to be the first in line. Founded as the Pittsburgh Pipers in 1967 (and winning the inaugural ABA championship), the franchise moved to Minneapolis the next season (playing as the Minnesota Pipers), back to Pittsburgh in 1969, and rebranded as the Pittsburgh Condors by 1970.

Despite its out of the gate success fans lost interest as the franchise quickly floundered, and leading up to its game in Birmingham team officials were actively shopping it. It had already been reported that New Haven, Albuquerque and Tucson were on the Condors’ short list.

“I think I can safely say we will not be in Pittsburgh next year,” team public relations director Fred Cranwell told the Post-Herald for a March 14, 1972, story. “I can’t say where we will go because we don’t know. We will go where we are wanted.

“I can’t say we will offer Birmingham our club, but I can’t rule Birmingham out, either. But Birmingham is certainly one of the towns we’re considering.”

Was it really, though?

A crowd of 3,000 showed up at the 4,100-seat Birmingham venue on March 24 and saw the Colonels demolish the Condors, 134-107. Artis Gilmore – who prepped at Dothan High School and was on his way to an MVP year in the ABA – was the biggest draw of the night. He scored a team-high 27 points despite playing less than three full quarters. Teammate Dan Issel added 21.

Pittsburgh’s Dave Lattin led all scorers with 29 points, meaning Magic City roundball fans got to see three future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees put on a show.

But fans would not be cheering for the Birmingham Condors in 1973, regardless of how well this regular game had been received.

The following morning the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published a story stating that the Condors’ game against the Virginia Squires on March 26 would be the last in Pittsburgh and the team was likely headed to the Texas.

There was no mention of Birmingham at all.

Of course, it didn’t matter.

When the ABA held its summer meetings in June, both the Condors and The Floridians (based in Miami) were dissolved.

Only two of its original teams (Indiana and Kentucky) survived relocation, dissolution and/or name changes during the organization’s existence.

Ultimately, the ABA was outspent and outmaneuvered by the senior circuit, agreeing to a limited merger in 1976. The Indiana Pacers, New York Nets, Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs (originally the Chaparrals) were absorbed by the NBA.

As for Birmingham, big-time basketball returned earlier this month when the New Orleans Pelicans – parent club of the NBA G League Birmingham Squadron – played the Atlanta Hawks at Legacy Arena. There were 15,486 tickets sold and most of them were used as fans showed up in big numbers to watch the teams warm up for the 2022-23 campaign.

There’s no talk of getting an expansion team – that ship has likely sailed. But 50 years after the ABA made eyes at the Ham, we showed we can still be a pretty fun date.

Special thanks to good friend Joe DeLeonard for calling my attention to this bit of Birmingham basketball history.

When the NBA G League debuted in Birmingham last year, I was excited that I’d be able to go to Legacy Arena and enjoy a brand of basketball that was both high-quality and innovative.

A proving ground for players hoping to level up to the Association, the circuit is also a laboratory for rule experimentation. And if you know anything about me, you know I love seeing a rulebook get the mad scientist treatment.

In 2022-23, the NBA’s feeder system is making arguably its boldest tweak yet – and I’m all for it.

This season the league will use a Final Target Score during all regular season overtime games and the fourth quarter of each Winter Showcase contest in Las Vegas. The rules that were already in place create fun and fast competition, but this makes a good thing even better.

Some version of the “Elam Ending” is something I’ve hoped would come to the G League sooner than later. It’s been used three years running in the NBA All-Star Game and has grown in popularity thanks to The Basketball Tournament (TBT).

“It’s a new concept for me, something we will research from an analytical perspective as well as watch film of a few other leagues who have implemented it,” said Birmingham head coach T.J. Saint, entering his first season at the helm of the New Orleans Pelicans affiliate. “If you are down by a large margin once it goes to Elam, it can allow you to make a comeback and win the game without the clock being an inhibitor whereas in a normal game, the clock can really end any hope of a potential comeback.

“I definitely think it can add excitement for the fans with every game ending in a game-winning shot.” 

In the TBT, the game clock is turned off after the first dead ball with under four minutes to play in the fourth quarter. Then eight points are added to the leading team’s tally to create a target score which, once reached, ends the game.

For all 31 G League Winter Showcase games, the fourth quarter will be untimed and the object is to tally the leading team’s score plus 25 points. So, if the Squadron advances to the Winter Showcase and leads an opponent 100-90 after three, the first team to score 125 wins.

Teams are separated into four regional pods during the Showcase Cup and play 16 games against each other. The clubs with the best winning percentage in each pod and the next four teams across the league with the best winning percentages advance to the Winter Showcase December 19-22.

Once the regular season (32 games for each team) gets underway on December 27, G League contests will feature traditional quarters. However, if a game is still knotted after 48 minutes, the first team to reach the tied score plus seven points in the extra period wins.

Malcolm Hill currently plays for the Chicago Bulls on a two-way contract with the Windy City Bulls, but was a member of the Squadron last season. During an early practice session, I was talking with him about the rule variations in the G League and asked him what he thought about the Elam Ending.

“It’s fun for sure, depending on who you’re asking.” he said. “Definitely for fans and a lot of players, but there are players like me who like to stick to the traditional things as far as the game clock. But it’s different and interesting.”

Target score aside, the developmental league will continue to play the “greatest hits” when it comes to rule revisions.

The One Free Throw Rule is back, meaning a lone foul shot is attempted in all free throw situations during the first 46 minutes of a game (traditional foul shot rules apply over the final two minutes of the fourth quarter). It’s worth the value of whatever the total number of free throws would be in an NBA game. In other words, if a player is fouled while attempting a 3-pointer and sinks his charity toss, he’s credited with three points.

Two infraction rules I’m glad to see return are the Transition Take Foul and Away-From-The-Play Foul.

The Transition Take Foul is called when a defender commits a foul without making a play on the ball; fouls an offensive player who has the ball or has just passed it away; or fouls during a transition scoring opportunity. The fouled team can pick any player on the floor to shoot one free throw and keep the ball at the “point of interruption.”

And the Away-From-The-Play Foul is defined as “any illegal contact by the defense which occurs either deliberately away from the immediate area of offensive action, prior to the ball being released on a throw-in, or both.” When this happens personal and team fouls are assessed, and one foul shot can be taken by any player in the game at the time of the foul. This decreases the likelihood of a team resorting to “Hack-a-Shaq.”

Other twists include the coach’s challenge and 14-second shot clock reset after offensive rebounds, which originated in the G League and were ultimately adopted by the NBA. (A complete list of rules can be found in the “NBA G League 101” section of gleague.nba.com).

The Squadron opens Showcase Cup play on Sunday, November 6, when the Lakeland Magic comes to Legacy Arena for a 5 p.m. tip.

Between the talent on the floor and the rules on the books, it should be a blast.

One of the best things about moving back home to Birmingham has been the chance to become an active hometown sports fan once again.

In years past (15 years to be exact), following UAB sports was done from a distance as I lived in Greenville, South Carolina. Oh, I managed to sneak home once to catch a basketball game during the Jerod Hasse era, and I made a day trip to Legion Field in 2017 to watch the Blazers football team make its return from the grave.

One weekend visit to the Magic City a few years ago allowed me to duck into Regions Field and see the Barons play, and I even showed up for the debut of the Alliance of American Football’s Birmingham Iron in 2019.

But ever since June, 2021, games involving Birmingham-branded teams have been played right down the road from me and I’ve been fortunate to make up for lost time.

I have to tell you, though, some of the most enjoyable new sports memories I’ve made since reestablishing my residence has been following a team that played its first game just four months ago.

The Birmingham Squadron – NBA G League affiliate of the New Orleans Pelicans – made their debut last November and since then I’ve become completely enamored. From the first time I showed up to witness head coach Ryan Pannone conduct an early practice at Bill Burch Gymnasium on the Birmingham Southern College campus to the times I’ve fanned up at Legacy Arena for regular season games, it’s been a blast.

As a Birmingham guy I’m always hopeful any pro team that comes to town will succeed, and I got invested in this one immediately. Being a close follower of the G League long before this town was ever considered for a franchise made it easier, but now I feel like I actually have some skin in the game. I love men’s and women’s basketball at pretty much any level, but to have such a high level of the sport right in my figurative backyard has given my passion for roundball an added boost.

As is the case of any G League team, players go up and down, come and go, play and sit. Even so – with all the turnover – the Squadron has been consistently exciting.

Guard Joe Young, who has suited up for Birmingham 25 times during the regular season, averages 19.6 points per game and is the only player on the club to have a 40-point game in 2021-22.

Auburn product Jared Harper has been called up to the Pelicans five times and took a little time away when he joined Squadron teammate Justin-Wright Foreman on Team USA in the FIBA World Cup. During 18 regular season G League games Harper has lit it up for a 20.9 points per game average.

Center Zach Hankins is currently averaging 12.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per outing while forwards Zylan Cheatham and guard Ra’Shad James are pumping in 14.1 and 10.2 ppg on average. I could spit out a bunch of other names and stats (the team’s 37 percent 3-point shooting leads the league, for example) but the point is, this is quality basketball and quality entertainment.

It’s a team that’s easy to root for, which is why I cheered a little and cussed a lot during last night’s wild 143-129 loss to the Sioux Falls Skyhawks. Birmingham entered the game at 13-13 and right above the playoff cutline in the Western Conference.

This morning they’re right below it, and with only five games remaining in the regular season and three at home (including tonight’s rematch with Sioux Falls), it’s as though the playoffs have already begun.

Obviously I hope the Squadron gets hot down the stretch, lands one of the six conference postseason slots, and is still playing in April. When you enjoy something, you don’t want to see it end. And I’ve enjoyed Birmingham Squadron professional basketball very, very much.

I love my hometown, and having a new hometown team to love makes being back even more special.