The Maximum Basketball League (MBL) is a semi-professional men's basketball league which operates in the United States.
 | |
| Formerly | Midwest Basketball League (2015-19) |
|---|---|
| Sport | Basketball |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Founder | Michael A. Wright |
| First season | 2015 |
| No. of teams | 45 |
| Country | United States |
| Most recent champion(s) | CHICAGO FURY (2023) |
| Most titles | 2 (Cedar Valley CourtKings) |
| Official website | officialMBL.org |
History
editEstablished in 2015 by founder Michael A. Wright, the Midwest Basketball League (MBL) was rebranded the Maximum Basketball League following the 2019 season when Wright stepped away.[1]
Eleven teams competed in the inaugural 2016 season. Regular season games began in April 2016 followed by a post-season in August 2016.[2][3]
After five games the Chicago Clovers were removed from the league. Lincoln Lions, who were playing a limited schedule as a "branding" team, took the place of the Clovers. Northern Indiana Monarchs also were removed after playing seven games although they would return to the league as Indy Show.
New management took command after the 2019 season which was followed by 13 teams leaving MBL. For the 2020 season 34 new teams are scheduled to compete. Only the Indiana Dream and Naptown Pros (formerly the Indy Show) remain from the inaugural season.
Teams
edit| MidWest Division | City | 1st season |
|---|---|---|
| Brownstown Bears | South Bend, Indiana | 2021 |
| Chicago Fury | Chicago, Illinois | 2016 |
| Chicago Knights | Chicago, Illinois | 2017 |
| Chicago Legends | Chicago, Illinois | 2017 |
| Detroit Panthers | Redford, Michigan | 2022 |
| Elkhart Mavericks | Elkhart, Indiana | 2020 |
| Fort Wayne Visions | Fort Wayne, Indiana | 2018 |
| Foundation Bulldogs | 2019 | |
| Grand Rapids Fusion | Grand Rapids, Michigan | 2019 |
| Midwest Storm | ||
| Michigan Avengers | St. Clair Shores, Michigan | 2020 |
| Wayne County Roadrunners | 2018 | |
| Northeast Division | City | 1st season |
| Bronx Holy Storm | Bronx, New York | 2020 |
| Brooklyn Sentinels | Brooklyn, New York | 2021 |
| Crotona Hawks | Bronx, New York | 2021 |
| Kitsap Admirals | Bremerton, Washington | 2022 |
| Montrose Veterans | Bronx, New York | 2021 |
| Mount Vernon Power | Mount Vernon, New York | 2020 |
| NYC Black Eagles | New York City, New York | 2021 |
| South Division | City | 1st season |
| DFW Just Hoop | Fort Worth, Texas | 2020 |
| Fort Worth Wolves | Fort Worth, Texas | 2018 |
| Foundation Bulldogs | Dallas, Texas | 2019 |
| Hills have Eyez | 2021 | |
| North Texas Prowlers | Argyle, Texas | 2020 |
| Texas Empire | 2020 | |
| Texas Tsunami | 2020 | |
| Ultra Instinct | Dallas, Texas | 2021 |
| Waco Terrior | Waco, Texas | 2018 |
| Southeast Division | City | 1st season |
| Atlanta Wildcats | Atlanta, Georgia | 2020 |
| Birmingham Miners | Birmingham, Alabama | 2021 |
| Wolverton Wolves | Roswell, Georgia | 2023 |
| Hub City Cyclones | Bartlett, Tennessee | 2021 |
| Memphis Lions | Memphis, Tennessee | 2021 |
| Music City Kings | Memphis, Tennessee | 2020 |
Former teams
edit- Atlanta Grizzlies (2020)
- ArkLaTex Takeover (2020)
- Cincinnati Crush (2020)
- Charleston Panthers (2020)
- Dallas Kings (2018-2020)
- Dayton Eagles (2020)
- Delta Elite (2020)
- Derby City Flash (2020)
- DFW Kingsmen (2020)
- Fayetteville Flight (2020)
- Flower City Monarchs (2020)
- Fort Wayne Vision (2017-2020)
- Georgia Bombers (2020)
- Indiana Dream (2016-2020)
- Midwest Storm (2020)
- Kentucky Enforcers (2020)
- Kentucky Rebels (2020)
- Milwaukee Wizards (2020)
- Naptown Pros (2016-2020)
- Nationwide Hoops (2020)
- North Minneapolis Eagles (2017-2020)
- Oklahoma Tatanka (2020)
- Philadelphia Pioneers (2020)
- Questlife Warriors (2018-2020)
- Rockers International (2020)
- Savannah Cavaliers (2020)
- Southeast Shooters (2020)
- Team NetWork (2020)
- Texas Revelation (2018-2020)
- Arlington Dream Chasers (2018-2019)
- Bay Area Titans (2018-2019)
- Cedar Valley CourtKings (2016-2019)
- Central Indiana Crusaders (2016-2019)
- Chicago Clovers (2016) - removed from the league after five games
- Chicago Fury (2016-2019)
- Chicago Knights (2017-2019)
- Dallas Kings (2018-2020)
- Dayton Air Strikers (2016-2018)
- Game Solid (2020)
- Hamilton Heroes (2016)
- Illinois Bulldogs (2017)
- Indiana Fury (2016-2019)
- Iowa Elite Pro (2018-2019)
- Kentucky Flash (2016-2018)
- Lincoln Lions (2016-18)
- Milwaukee Wizards (2017) - returned in 2020
- Minnesota Arctic Blast (2017)
- Minnesota Broncos (2016-2019)
- Minnesota Lakers (2016-2019)
- Minnesota Pitbulls (2017)
- North Minneapolis Eagles (2017-2019) - returned in 2020
- Rochester Roadrunners (2017-2019)
- Springfield Panthers (2017-2019)
- TC Elite (2017-2019)
- Wisconsin Game Changers (2017)
- Wisconsin/Milwaukee Storm (2016-2017)
- Wolverton Wolves (2023)
Champions
edit| Season | Winner | Runner-up | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Cedar Valley CourtKings | Minnesota Rangers | 108-98 [4] |
| 2017 | Cedar Valley CourtKings | Fort Wayne Vision | 121-106 [5][6] |
| 2018 | Twin Cities Elite | Fort Wayne Vision | 106-104 [7] |
| 2019 | Fort Wayne Vision | Eagan Bulldogs | 107-106 |
References
edit- ^ "MBL makes name change". Maximum Basketball League. August 19, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Professional basketball returning to Cedar Valley". Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier. December 18, 2015.
- ^ "Welcome to the new home of the MBL". Midwest Basketball League. July 23, 2015.
- ^ "Ellison's pro team wins championship". USA Today High School Sports. August 22, 2016.
- ^ "MBL champion CourtKings return to Comet Gym on Saturday". Charles City Press. March 26, 2018.
- ^ "Midwest Basketball League: CourtKings eye three-peat". Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier. April 1, 2018.
- ^ "Former Gopher Gaston Diedhiou Wins Semi-Pro Basketball Championship". Zone Coverage. July 29, 2018.