Atlantic City Hi Rollers

Continental Basketball Association (1980-1982)

Tombstone

Born: 1980 – The Utica Olympics relocate to Atlantic City, NJ
Folded: 1982

First Game: November 22, 1980 (L 132-104 @ Rochester Zeniths)
Final Game: March 14, 1982 (L 172-171 @ Maine Lumberjacks)

CBA Championships: None

Arenas

West Side Complex (3,063)

Wildwood Convention Hall (2,100)

Washington Township Middle School

Branding

Team Colors: Red & White

Ownership

Owners: Steven Koplove, et al.

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Continental Basketball Association
Logo T-Shirt

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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

Obscure minor league basketball outfit that lasted two seasons in the Continental Basketball Association at the dawn of the 1980’s. The Hi Rollers split their time between Atlantic City and the seaside resort town of Wildwood, New Jersey, 30 minutes to the south. The team played in front of average crowds estimated at just 150-200 per game during its final season in the winter of 1981-82 (Morristown Daily Record 1/31/1982).

The team also appeared to use the name “Wildwood Hi Rollers” (as on the yearbook pictured above) on occasion, though league media guides always referred to the team as “Atlantic City”.

Al Green, a guard from Louisiana State University, led the Hi Rollers in scoring (26.5 ppg), assists (6.2) and steals (2.6) during the team’s first season in 1980-81. However, Green left the team to play professional in Australia before the season was over.

The Hi Rollers finished 2nd in the Eastern Division with a 22-18 record before falling to the Philadelphia Kings in the first round of the playoffs.

During the Hi Rollers second and final season in 1981-82, the team finished in last place with a 15-31 record and missed the playoffs. The club folded quietly after the season ended.