[{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/wiki.edu.vn\/en\/wiki24\/american-basketball-league-1996-1998-wikipedia\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/wiki.edu.vn\/en\/wiki24\/american-basketball-league-1996-1998-wikipedia\/","headline":"American Basketball League (1996\u20131998) – Wikipedia","name":"American Basketball League (1996\u20131998) – Wikipedia","description":"From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Defunct professional women’s basketball league in the United States The American Basketball League, often abbreviated","datePublished":"2020-06-23","dateModified":"2020-06-23","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/wiki.edu.vn\/en\/wiki24\/author\/lordneo\/#Person","name":"lordneo","url":"https:\/\/wiki.edu.vn\/en\/wiki24\/author\/lordneo\/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c9645c498c9701c88b89b8537773dd7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c9645c498c9701c88b89b8537773dd7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Enzyklop\u00e4die","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/wiki.edu.vn\/wiki4\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/download.jpg","url":"https:\/\/wiki.edu.vn\/wiki4\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/download.jpg","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/timeline\/m5p9cnzhtn6h1rlc75dogd06osb8d6x.png","url":"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/timeline\/m5p9cnzhtn6h1rlc75dogd06osb8d6x.png","height":"","width":""},"url":"https:\/\/wiki.edu.vn\/en\/wiki24\/american-basketball-league-1996-1998-wikipedia\/","about":["Wiki"],"wordCount":2752,"articleBody":"From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaDefunct professional women’s basketball league in the United StatesThe American Basketball League, often abbreviated to the ABL of 1996 was a professional women’s basketball league in the United States. At the same time the ABL was being formed, the National Basketball Association (NBA) was creating the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). The ABL began league competition in the Fall of 1996, while the WNBA launched its first game in June 1997. Both organizations came into existence during a surge in popularity for women’s basketball in the United States that followed the perfect 35\u20130 national championship season for the Connecticut Huskies in 1995[3] and the undefeated, gold medal-winning performance of the United States Women’s basketball team at the 1996 Summer Olympics.The ABL lasted two full seasons: 1996\u201397 and 1997\u201398. The Atlanta Glory and Long Beach Stingrays folded prior to the start of the 1998\u201399 season, and were replaced by two expansion teams, the Chicago Condors and Nashville Noise. On December 22, 1998, with almost no warning, the ABL declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy and suspended operations. Each team had played between 12 and 15 games of the 1998\u201399 season.The ABL got off the ground before the WNBA, and at least early on its quality of play was higher than the rival league. This was partly due to the league’s signing of a majority of players from the 1996 USA women’s national team.  Although the WNBA was bankrolled by the NBA, the ABL offered higher salaries. The two leagues did not compete directly; the ABL played during the winter while the WNBA played during the summer. However, this arrangement put the ABL in competition with the established men’s NBA for an audience. Ultimately, the ABL found the WNBA’s stronger financial resources\u2014augmented by the NBA’s marketing machine\u2014to be too much to overcome.The league operated as a single-entity structure, which was intended to control costs until it found its feet.  However, it also meant that even the most basic decisions related to team operations had to go through the league office in Palo Alto, California. League officials were so fixated on national sponsorships that they hamstrung the teams’ efforts to market themselves locally. The ABL was also underfinanced. Allison Hodges, general manager of the short-lived Condors, later told The New York Times that she was led to believe league officials rejected her marketing ideas because they clashed with its national focus, only to find out that the league did not have enough money to finance them. Hodges also believed the league had already planned to shut down before announcing the Chapter 11 filing.[4]Of all the ABL cities, Chicago, Seattle, and Atlanta now have WNBA teams.Table of Contents1996\u201398 clubs[edit]Seasons[edit]1996\u201397[edit]1997\u201398[edit]1998\u201399[edit]Notable players[edit]See also[edit]References[edit]External links[edit]1996\u201398 clubs[edit]Seasons[edit]1996\u201397[edit]The 1996\u201397 ABL All-Star Game was played on December 15, 1996, at the Hartford Civic Center. The Western Conference defeated the Eastern Conference, 81\u201365, and the game’s MVP was Tari Phillips.[5]SemifinalsFinals\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0E1Columbus2W2San Jose0E1Columbus3E2Richmond2E2Richmond2W1Colorado01997\u201398[edit]The 1997\u201398 ABL All-Star Game was played on January 18, 1998, at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The Eastern Conference defeated the Western Conference, 102\u201373.First RoundSemifinalsFinalsE1Columbus2E2New England0W4San Jose0W4San Jose2E1Columbus3W2Long Beach2W1Portland0W2Long Beach2W2Long Beach2W3Colorado11998\u201399[edit]The 1998\u201399 ABL All-Star Game was scheduled to be played on January 24, 1999, in San Jose, California, but was canceled when the league ceased operations in December 1998.[6]Notable players[edit]See also[edit]References[edit]External links[edit]  "},{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https:\/\/wiki.edu.vn\/en\/wiki24\/#breadcrumbitem","name":"Enzyklop\u00e4die"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https:\/\/wiki.edu.vn\/en\/wiki24\/american-basketball-league-1996-1998-wikipedia\/#breadcrumbitem","name":"American Basketball League (1996\u20131998) – Wikipedia"}}]}]