SlamBall, the high-flying, adrenaline-pumping sport that combines basketball, trampolines, and acrobatics, is set to make a comeback this summer, know the 2023 schedule
The league has announced that it will return for a six-week season in Las Vegas starting in July.
SlamBall to return in July with Six-Week Season in Las Vegas
Fans of SlamBall have been eagerly awaiting the return of the sport, which last had a professional season in 2008. The league had struggled with financial issues and was forced to suspend operations, leaving fans disappointed and players without a platform to showcase their skills.
SlamBall 2023 schedule, teams, venue, investors list and format
Now, after years of anticipation, SlamBall is back and better than ever. The league has partnered with a group of investors who are committed to seeing the sport succeed, and they have secured a venue in Las Vegas for the upcoming season.
The $11 million Series A investment was led by Roger Ehrenberg’s IA Sports Ventures and Eberg Capital and included strategic investors from the sports, gaming, entertainment, and media industries.
The six-week season will feature four teams, each made up of eight players in Las Vegas. The teams will compete in a round-robin tournament, with the top two teams advancing to the championship game.
Details regarding the complete schedule and teams will be revealed later.
Fans can expect to see all the signature SlamBall moves, including gravity-defying dunks, high-flying blocks, and fast-paced, high-scoring games. The trampolines will once again be a key part of the action, allowing players to soar above their opponents and deliver highlight-reel plays.
In addition to the on-court action, the league is also planning a range of entertainment and fan engagement activities. There will be live music, food trucks, and other attractions to keep fans entertained before and after the games.
SlamBall Will Be Recorded By Mike Tollin In A Documentary
This July in Las Vegas, SlamBall will return with a six-week regular season and a seventh playoff week. Distribution negotiations are now underway, and Mike Tollin’s MSM is producing a docuseries about the league. Gordon and Tollin previously worked together on the first version of SlamBall, and Tollin most recently served as executive producer of the popular documentary “The Last Dance.”
Gordon developed SlamBall in 1999. At the time, he was employed by Tollin, which had funded the building of a prototype SlamBall court. The National Network, later known as Spike TV previously broadcast the sport.
In a warehouse, Gordon and Tollin established the professional league in 2002, utilising outdated gymnastics apparatus and unfinished rules. Last year, LAFC co-founder Tom Penn joined the ownership group.
With an initial “bounce off” at centre court, the game most closely resembles basketball. However, it is played on a court with four rectangular trampolines at each end to extend play up to eighteen feet in the air, enables blocks and collisions like football, allows for unlimited replacements like hockey, and is played under these rules.
Games last for 20 minutes and are separated into five-minute quarters. There are four players on the floor for each team.
Strategic Investors Include
- David Blitzer (Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment)
- Cleveland Guardians, Crystal Palace)
- David Adelman (76ers, NJ Devils)
- Michael Rubin (Fanatics)
- Gary Vaynerchuk (VaynerX, Major League Pickleball)
- Boston Celtics power forward
- Blake Griffin
- Kevin Nagel (Sacramento Kings)
- Lloyd Danzig (Sharp Alpha)
- Legends Growth Enterprises
- Brian Lovell (Red Games)
- Jesse Sharf (Gibson, Dunn)
- Accelerate Sports and Eric Manlunas (Wavemaker Partners)
Furthermore, investment banking services were provided for the round by Accelerate Sports.
SLAM BALL IS COMING BACK pic.twitter.com/Xyl8b9UAI2
— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) March 21, 2023
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