In 1999, sports fans were introduced to SlamBall, a new sport involving trampolines, basketball, big jumps and monster dunks.
While most basketball traditionalists didn’t quite understand it at first, the high-flying jumps and powerful, rim-rocking dunks attracted a loyal fanbase who took to the new sports property that combined basketball, football, hockey and an “NBA Jam” video game feel.
To the disappointment of its fans, the league disappeared in 2008.
But now, 15 years later, SlamBall is back.
Co-founders Mason Gordon and Mike Tollin were thrilled to revive SlamBall, and even more excited that the league, which will play all of its games at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, will air on ESPN.
“ESPN’s multi-year commitment to SlamBall is further validation of the enormous appeal and growth potential of our sport,” said Gordon, Slamball’s CEO. “The level of interest in our hybrid team sport not just in the U.S., but across the world, has been beyond our expectations for the 2023 season. It’s clear that this is the best talent we have had in the sport’s history.”
That excitement was echoed by Tollin.
“Mason and I couldn’t help but respond to the #BringBackSlamBall clamor,” said Tollin. “Live sports dominate the airwaves these days and audiences are looking for the next big thing. It’s a thrill to collaborate with ESPN in bringing this ground-breaking sport back to the world.”
The Opening Night for SlamBall takes place on July 21st, live from 7-9 pm EST. Per the release:
ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN+ will combine to air more than 30 hours of live SlamBall programming across five weekends, culminating August 17-19 with the SlamBall Playoffs and SlamBall Championship Game. All games will be played at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, with ticket sales beginning on June 27.
The broadcast team, production details, and full broadcast schedule will be announced in the next few weeks.
The league raised $11 million from investors such as David Blitzer (Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, Cleveland Guardians, Crystal Palace), David Adelman (76ers, NJ Devils), Michael Rubin (Fanatics), Gary Vaynerchuk (VaynerX, Major League Pickleball) and Blake Griffin (Boston Celtics power forward and six-time NBA All-Star).
For more information about SlamBall, visit: https://slamballleague.com
