July 15, 2021

AMERICAN BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION (ABA) COMING TO CANADA

Indianapolis, IN.  The American Basketball Association (ABA) today announced that the league will be expanding into Canada with a new team for the upcoming 2021-2022 season.  “We are very pleased and excited to be able to showcase the great talent of the ABA there,” stated ABA CEO Joe Newman.  “Canada has been on our radar for several years;. While we are developing ABA Canada, this team will actually be competing with the US ABA teams.”  The team will play in Mile One Center in St. John’s, NL and will be owned by 2001 Investments Limited, a Newfoundland-based company led by President Tony Kenny in association with John Fisher and William Kennedy.

“We are thrilled to be awarded an ABA franchise,” added Mr. Kenny.  “We looked at several leagues and found that the ABA had the most to offer and would be the best fit for our market.  The ABA has close to 200 teams and is both the largest and most diversified professional sports league in the US.  We are the first team in Canada and anticipate that the best US teams will be coming to play here.  Our fans can expect top quality basketball at affordable prices; we are looking forward to our first season and we will be eligible to compete in the ABA playoffs in April.”  The team’s name, schedule and ticket information will be announced in the upcoming weeks.

The ABA was originally started in 1967 and merged with the NBA in 1976.  The current ABA was restarted in 1999 and has grown to over 180 teams playing in eight regions throughout the US.  The St. John’s team will be competing in the Northeast Region.  The league has also expanded to ABA Australia, ABA Mexico, ABA Caribbean and is developing ABA Canada to begin in 2022.

For more information, contact Tony Kenny at 709 690 1585, email [email protected] or visit www.abaliveaction.com.