Maximum Basketball League

The Maximum Basketball League (MBL) is a semi-professional men's basketball league which operates in the United States.

Maximum Basketball League
FormerlyMidwest Basketball League (2015-19)
SportBasketball
Founded2015
FounderMichael A. Wright
Inaugural season2015
No. of teams45
CountryUnited States
Most recent
champion(s)		Fort Wayne Vision (2019)
Most titles2 (Cedar Valley CourtKings)
Official websiteofficialMBL.org

History

Established in 2015 by founder Michael A. Wright, the Midwest Basketball League (MBL) was rebranded the Maximum Basketball League following the 2019 season when Wright stepped away.[1]

Eleven teams competed in the inaugural 2016 season. Regular season games began in April 2016 followed by a post-season in August 2016.[2][3]

After five games the Chicago Clovers were removed from the league. Lincoln Lions, who were playing a limited schedule as a "branding" team, took the place of the Clovers. Northern Indiana Monarchs also were removed after playing seven games although they would return to the league as Indy Show.

New management took command after the 2019 season which was followed by 13 teams leaving MBL. For the 2020 season 34 new teams are scheduled to compete. Only the Indiana Dream and Naptown Pros (formerly the Indy Show) remain from the inaugural season.

Teams
West Division City 1st season
Chicago Legends Chicago, Illinois 2017
Eagan Bulldogs Eagan, Minnesota 2018
Elkhart Mavericks Elkhart, Indiana 2020
Game Solid Lansing, Michigan 2020
Midwest Storm Janesville, Wisconsin 2020
Milwaukee Wizards Milwaukee, Wisconsin 2020
North Minneapolis Eagles Minneapolis, Minnesota 2017
East Division City 1st season
Dayton Eagles Dayton, Ohio 2020
Fort Wayne Bubba Ballers Fort Wayne, Indiana 2018
Fort Wayne Vision Fort Wayne, Indiana 2017
Indiana Dream Muncie, Indiana 2016
Michigan Avengers St. Clair Shores, Michigan 2020
Nationwide Hoops Detroit, Michigan 2020
Team NetWork Detroit, Michigan 2020
Central Division City 1st season
Cincinnati Crush Cincinnati, Ohio 2020
Derby City Flash Louisville, Kentucky 2020
Kentucky Enforcers Florence, Kentucky 2020
Kentucky Rebels Louisville, Kentucky 2020
Music City Kings Nashville, Tennessee 2020
Naptown Pros Indianapolis, Indiana 2016
Northeast Division City 1st season
Bronx Holy Storm Bronx, New York 2020
Flower City Monarchs Rochester, New York 2020
Mount Vernon Power Mount Vernon, New York 2020
New York Holy Storm Bronx, New York 2020
Philadelphia Pioneers Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 2020
Mideast Division City 1st season
Atlanta Grizzlies Atlanta, Georgia 2020
Atlanta Wildcats Atlanta, Georgia 2020
Charleston Panthers Charleston, South Carolina 2020
Fayetteville Flight Fayetteville, North Carolina 2020
Rockers International Atlanta, Georgia 2020
Midsouth Division City 1st season
DFW Just Hoop Fort Worth, Texas 2020
DFW Kingsmen Dallas, Texas 2020
North Texas Prowlers Argyle, Texas 2020
Questlife Warriors Dallas, Texas 2018
West Tennessee Heat Bolivar, Tennessee 2020
Southeast Division City 1st season
Central Georgia Rattlers Macon, Georgia 2020
Delta Elite Atlanta, Georgia 2020
Georgia Bombers Ludowici, Georgia 2020
Savannah Cavaliers Savannah, Georgia 2020
Southeast Shooters Atlanta, Georgia 2020
South Division City 1st season
ArkLaTex Takeover Shreveport, Louisiana 2020
Dallas Kings Dallas, Texas 2018
Fort Worth Wolves Fort Worth, Texas 2018
Oklahoma Tatanka Muskogee, Oklahoma 2020
Texas Revelation Dallas, Texas 2018

Former teams
  • Arlington Dream Chasers (2018-2019)
  • Bay Area Titans (2018-2019)
  • Cedar Valley CourtKings (2016-2019)
  • Central Indiana Crusaders (2016-2019)
  • Chicago Clovers (2016) - removed from the league after five games
  • Chicago Fury (2016-2019)
  • Chicago Knights (2017-2019)
  • Dayton Air Strikers (2016-2018)
  • Hamilton Heroes (2016)
  • Illinois Bulldogs (2017)
  • Indiana Fury (2016-2019)
  • Iowa Elite Pro (2018-2019)
  • Kentucky Flash (2016-2018)
  • Lincoln Lions (2016-18)
  • Milwaukee Wizards (2017) - returned in 2020
  • Minnesota Arctic Blast (2017)
  • Minnesota Broncos (2016-2019)
  • Minnesota Lakers (2016-2019)
  • Minnesota Pitbulls (2017)
  • North Minneapolis Eagles (2017-2019) - returned in 2020
  • Rochester Roadrunners (2017-2019)
  • Springfield Panthers (2017-2019)
  • TC Elite (2017-2019)
  • Wisconsin Game Changers (2017)
  • Wisconsin/Milwaukee Storm (2016-2017)

Champions
Season Winner Runner-up Result
2016 Cedar Valley CourtKings Minnesota Rangers 108-98 [4]
2017 Cedar Valley CourtKings Fort Wayne Vision 121-106 [5][6]
2018 Twin Cities Elite Fort Wayne Vision 106-104 [7]
2019 Fort Wayne Vision Eagan Bulldogs 107-106
gollark: You know what'd be *great*? Online shop comparison.
gollark: And you go bankrupt as gold pours in!
gollark: It's a *shop* which *buys* things from you instead of *sell*ing.
gollark: Ah, a `buy shop` as they are known.
gollark: I could probably take some time out of my busy schedule playing Minecraft to help.

References
  1. "MBL makes name change". Maximum Basketball League. August 19, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  2. "Professional basketball returning to Cedar Valley". Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier. December 18, 2015.
  3. "Welcome to the new home of the MBL". Midwest Basketball League. July 23, 2015.
  4. "Ellison's pro team wins championship". USA Today High School Sports. August 22, 2016.
  5. "MBL champion CourtKings return to Comet Gym on Saturday". Charles City Press. March 26, 2018.
  6. "Midwest Basketball League: CourtKings eye three-peat". Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier. April 1, 2018.
  7. "Former Gopher Gaston Diedhiou Wins Semi-Pro Basketball Championship". Zone Coverage. July 29, 2018.
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