Category: Continental Basketball Association

Detroit Spirits Continental Basketball Association

Detroit Spirits

August 5, 2013

The Detroit Spirits were a minor league basketball franchise that toiled in the shadow of the NBA’s Detroit Pistons for five seasons during the mid-1980’s. The Spirits served up a chaotic blend of triumph, tribulation and low comedy that could have launched a thousand Hollywood screenplays. The team won a league championship, signed notorious NBA burnout Marvin “Bad News Barnes”, and fell victim to a bizarre scheme that saw enterprising state prison inmates bill $19,000 in long distance phone calls to the team’s account. And that was just the Spirits’ first season…

Read More »
1982-83 Billings Volcanos program from the Continental Basketball Association

Billings Volcanos

August 4, 2013

The Billings Volcanos were a minor league basketball outfit in the Continental Basketball Association for three seasons from 1980 to 1983.  The franchise started out in Honolulu in 1979 where the club first gained its misspelled name. The team moved across the country to Billings after only one season in Hawaii. In 1980 the Volcanos chose a youth basketball coach from New Hampshire over Phil Jackson to become the team’s first head coach in Billings.

Read More »
1984-85 Albany Patroons Program from the Continental Basketball Association

Albany Patroons (1982-1992)

August 4, 2013

Continental Basketball Association (1982-1992) Born: 1982 – CBA expansion franchise Re-Branded: October 2, 1992 (Capital Region Pontiacs) First Game: December 1, 1982 (W 132-116 @

Read More »
Kevin McKenna, Larry Spriggs & Oliver Mack on the cover of a 1982 Las Vegas Silvers program from the Continental Basketball Association

Las Vegas Silvers

August 4, 2013

The Las Vegas Silvers were a Continental Basketball Association franchise that played only half of one season at the L.V. Convention Center and the Tropicana Hotel during the winter of 1982-83. 32 games into the team’s schedule, the Silvers moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico to finish out the season.

Read More »
San Diego Wildcards Continental Basketball Association

San Diego Wildcards

July 4, 2013

The San Diego Wildcards were an ill-conceived Continental Basketball Association franchise that set up shop at the Sports Arena in the fall of 1995. The CBA was the official developmental league of the NBA at the time. The Wildcards lasted just 21 games before folding in midseason.

Read More »