Continental Basketball Association (1989-2001)
International Basketball League (2001)
Continental Basketball Association (2001-2003)
Tombstone
Born: 1989 – CBA expansion franchise
Re-Branded: May 26, 1994 (Grand Rapids Mackers)11995-96 Continental Basketball Association Official Guide & Register
Re-Branded (Again): 1996 (back to Grand Rapids Hoops)
Folded: June 30, 20032STAFF REPORTS. “Grand Rapids CBA team goes inactive”. The Argus-Leader (Sioux Falls, SD). July 1, 2003
First Game: November 14, 1989 (L 105-104 vs. La Crosse Catbirds)
Last Game: March 24, 2003 (L 117-107 @ Yakima Sun Kings)
CBA Championships: None
Arenas
1989-1996: Welsh Auditorium (3,600)31990-91 Continental Basketball Association Official Guide
Opened: 1933
Closed: 2003
1996-2001: Van Andel Arena
Opened: 1996
2001-2003: The DeltaPlex Arena
Opened: 1952
Closed: 2022
Marketing
Team Colors:
Ownership
Owners:
- 1989-1994: Tom Rubens, et al.
- 1994-1996: Scott McNeal, Mitch McNeal & Mark Kimball
- 1996-1999: Bob Przybysz
- 1999-2001: CBA (Isiah Thomas)
- 2001-2002: Joel Langlois & Bruce Langlois
- 2002-2003: Neil Elsey
OUR FAVORITE STUFF
Continental Basketball Association
Logo T-Shirt
This Old School Shirts release is strictly for the hardcore hoop heads.
Before the NBA had the G-League, it had the CBA with teams stretched from Puerto Rico to Honolulu. During the CBA’s 1980’s and 90’s heyday, the league provided a launching pad for future NBA All-Stars such as John Starks and Michael Adams as well as coaching legends Phil Jackson and George Karl.
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Background
The Grand Rapids Hoops were a durable minor league basketball operation that played 14 seasons in various buildings in and around the Western Michigan city. The team was known as the Grand Rapids Mackers for a brief interlude (1994-1996) after ownership briefly passed into the hands of Scott and Mitch McNeal, founders of the Gus Macker 3-on-3 basketball tournament empire. When the McNeals unloaded the team in 1996, new owner Bob Prsybysz quickly restored the “Hoops” identity.
During their 14-year history the Hoops never won a pro championship. The team did make two Finals appearances, losing the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) crown to the Omaha Racers in 1993 and to the Yakima Sun Kings in 2003.
Struggle To Survive
The Hoops/Mackers played their first seven seasons in Welsh Auditorium, one of the smallest buildings in the CBA with seating for fewer than 4,000. After moving into the brand new Van Andel Arena in 1996, the Hoops established themselves as one of the top draws in the CBA during the late 1990’s. Nevertheless, the team still lost considerable money each year.
The Hoops’ fortunes soured further in 1999 after former Detroit Pistons superstar Isiah Thomas worked a deal to purchase the CBA and its member franchises for $10 million. The future Hall-of-Famer oversaw the destruction of the 55-year old league in a matter of months.
Thomas rebuffed a profitable offer from the National Basketball Association to purchase the CBA, believing he could extract a better deal. The CBA had longed served as the Official Developmental League of the NBA. But Thomas badly misread the situation. The NBA severed its developmental deal with the CBA and moved ahead with development of its own National Basketball Development League.
Thomas soon lost interest in his failing investment and accepted an NBA head coaching job with the Indiana Pacers. Thomas was forced to give up his CBA ownership due to conflict of interest rules. He placed the CBA into a blind trust on the eve of the 2000-01 season. The move choked off crucial funding to the league-owned franchises. By February of 2001, the league was broke. The CBA folded in mid-season on February 8, 2001.
End Game
Local investors purchased the Hoops back from the defunct CBA for a token consideration and immediately entered the team into the International Basketball League to finish out the 2000-01 winter season. The IBL folded after the season as well. The Hoops’ league had now imploded around them twice in the span of six months.
Several other former CBA team owners who had sold out to Thomas in 1999 re-claimed their old teams following the collapse of the league in early 2001. This group re-booted a new version of the CBA to launch in the winter of 2001-02. The Hoops re-joined the CBA after the IBL closed its doors. At this time, the team also moved out of the modern-but-expensive Van Andel Arena and out to the cheaper DeltaPlex in suburban Walker, Michigan. New owners Joel and Bruce Langlois also owned the DeltaPlex itself.
The re-booted CBA was a flop. The league lost much of its identity and legitimacy with the loss of its NBA partnership. The team’s final stand was a CBA championship series loss to the Yakima Sun Kings in March of 2003. The Hoops folded soon afterwards.
The CBA itself closed its doors for good in 2009.
Grand Rapids Hoops Shop
In Memoriam
Former Hoops coach Bruce Stewart (’91-’94) died of cancer of May 23, 2011 at age 57.
Links
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4 Responses
Who was the sports trainer for the Grand Rapids Hoops basketball team in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s?
Joe Gutzwiller.
Trying to find an old college teammate’s Jersey from Grand Rapids Hoops; His name is Tim Anderson. He played with the organization from 1992 – 1994. Searching for all of my teammate’s jerseys to go into my man cave. Help Please!!!! (We played at Delaware State University (College) together. I was a freshman he was a senior.
Thanks,