NBDL Eliminates Two Teams In Advance Of Southwest Expansion

The NBDL Asheville Altitude has been sold to David Kahn’s Southwest Basketball, the group that has launched four NBDL franchises in Austin and Ft. Worth, Texas; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Tulsa, Oklahoma, according to Jason McGill of the Asheville CITIZEN-TIMES. Altitude President Rudy Bourg indicated that the team “would be relocated to one of the Southwest cities.” McGill notes Altitude employees will not retain their jobs, though players “will have an opportunity to relocate with the team” (Asheville CITIZEN-TIMES, 5/4). In Huntsville, Mark McCarter reports the NBDL yesterday folded the Huntsville Flight after four years because of a “lack of local support and a desire for a fresh start.” NBDL President Phil Evans said that it was a “combination of lack of sponsorship dollars as well as the low attendance that led to the decision.” Evans declined to comment on the future of the franchises in Roanoke, Virginia; Fayetteville, North Carolina; Columbus, Georgia; and Fort Myers, Florida. However, he has said that the NBDL will operate with eight teams next season — the four Southwest cities; Little Rock, Arkansas; and three of the four existing teams. McCarter writes because the Ft. Myers-based franchise “already has local ownership, Columbus, Fayetteville or Roanoke will lose its franchise” (HUNTSVILLE TIMES, 5/4).

JUST LOOKING? In Newark, Matthew Futterman reports NBA officials recently visited Sovereign Bank Arena “to size up the venue for the” NBDL or the WNBA. Sovereign Bank Arena GM Eric Cuthbertson said that execs from National Media Group visited earlier this year and “came away impressed with the 10,000-seat building.” Futterman notes National Media “is working with the NBA on its plans to expand both the NBDL and the WNBA.” An NBA spokesperson said that the league has no immediate plans to open for business in Trenton” (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 5/4).

WNBA: WNBA President Donna Orender appeared on ESPNews last night and said of the success of the league, “It really has to do with just the wider marketplace. If you look at the demographics and the positioning of women in America today, they have increased buying power. ... Companies need to market in a much more personal way, and we offer that and the fact that people want to do things that are family-focused, family-friendly, fun, authentic” (ESPNews, 5/3).