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Europäische Profi-Basketball-Liga
Sportart Basketball
Abkürzung EPBL
Ligagründung 1975
Ligaauflösung 1975
Mannschaften 5
Land/Länder Deutschland Deutschland

Belgien Belgien
Israel Israel
Spanien Spanien
Schweiz Schweiz

Titelträger Israel Israel Sabras (1. Titel)
Rekordmeister Israel Israel Sabras (1 Titel)

Die Europäische Profi-Basketball-Liga (EPBL) war eine professionelle Basketball-Liga in Europa. Obwohl sie in fünf europäischen Ländern (Deutschland, Israel, Spanien, Belgien, Schweiz) ausgetragen wurde, waren kaum Europäer am Spielbetrieb, weder als Spieler noch als Funktionäre, beteiligt. Da sich europäische Basketballorganisationen wie die FIBA Europa gegen die EPBL stellten und sie kaum öffentliches Interesse auf sich zog, endete ihre erste und gleichzeitig letzte Saison im April 1975.

Geschichte

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Erste Idee: EBA

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Während in den Vereinigten Staaten mit der National Basketball Association (NBA) bzw. ihren Vorgängerorganisationen, der Basketball Association of America (BAA) und der National Basketball League (NBL), bereits seit einigen Jahrzehnten Profi-Basketball gespielt wurde, waren die meisten Ligen Europas in den 70ern noch reine Amateurligen. Die Idee einer europäischen Profiliga wurde zuerst von Guy Van Den Broeck, dem Trainer der belgischen Basketballnationalmannschaft, im Februar 1974 vorgebracht. Van Den Broeck wird nachgesagt, im Auftrag von Mike Storen, einem Vertreter der American Basketball Association (ABA), zu handeln. Dieser soll ihn beauftragt haben, die Möglichkeit eines Profiwettbewerbs in Europa auszuloten. Van Den Broeck nahm am 3. Februar an einem Treffen mit franzöischen Vereinsverantwortlichen wie Guy Papinea (Präsident von ASPO Tours) oder René Fiolet (Präsident des Caen BC) teil, um Interesse für das Projekt zu wecken. Kurz nach dem Treffen wurde bereits eine Ligenstruktur angekündigt: acht Mannschaften aus großen europäischen Städten sollten in einer Saison vom Oktober 1975 bis zum April 1976 spielen. Angeblich waren fünf Franchises aus Frankreich, Belgien und Israel bereits startbereit. Auf Grund der geringen Anzahl an Mannschaften und dem amerikanischen Ligenmodell folgend sollten Mannschaften immer wieder gegeneinander spielen und so für genügend Heimspiele sorgen. Eine Vereinbarung mit der ABA hätte auch Spiele gegen tourende ABA-Teams ermöglicht und es stand sogar im Raum, dass die EPBL eine Division der amerikanischen Liga werden solle.[1] Obwohl Robert Busnel, Präsident der Fédération Française de Basket Ball (FFBB), zunächst verlautbaren ließ, dass die neue Liga sie nicht beeinflusse, drohte die FFBB mit lebenslangen Sperren, sollte ein Spieler einen Profivertrag unterschreiben, und dass sie sich gegen die Vermietung öffentlicher Arenen an die EPBL einsetzen werde. Van den Broeck suchte den Konflikt und antwortete, dass ihn „professionelle Amateure“ nicht kümmerten, die „Angst haben, ihr schönes Leben zu verlieren, wenn die echten Profis kommen.“ Als ihm kurz darauf der belgische Verband mit einer lebenslangen Sperre drohte, zog er sein Engagement für die Liga zurück.[2]

Das Projekt wurde unmittelbar von Marcel Leclerc, Präsident von Olympique Marseille, übernommen, der auch bereits beim Treffen anesend war. In einer Pressemitteilung vom 8. März 1974 wurde der Name der Liga, European Basketball Association (EBA), sowie die offizielle Bekanntgabe ihrer Gründung in Paris am Vortag verkündet. Bis auf den französischen Juristen Bernard Ulrich, der als Manager diente, blieben die weiteren Mitglieder der EBA unbekannt. Die Liga sollte aus zwei Gruppen aus je acht Mannschaften bestehen. Vier Städte sollen schon festgestanden haben, wurden jedoch noch nicht veröffentlicht; vier weitere Städte sollten folgen. William Jones, Generalsekretär der Fédération Internationale de Basketball (FIBA), zog das Projekt öffentlich in Zweifel. Insbesondere der Mangel an Spielstätten mit Zuschauerkapazitäten über 10.000 würde die Liga nicht profitabel machen. Leclerc zeigte sich jedoch zuversichtlich, insbesondere dank des hohen Niveaus der amerikanischen Spieler, die vorgesehen waren. Er plante, sich im frühen Mai mit amerikanischen Offiziellen zu treffen und um Unterstützung zu bitten. Es gab jedoch keine weiteren Ankündigungen und die Liga wurde nie ausgetragen.

The project was immediately taken over by Marcel Leclerc, president of football club Olympique de Marseille, who had been present at the earlier meeting. A communique from the organisation was released on 8 March 1974, naming the league the European Basketball Association (EBA) and formally announcing its creation had occurred in Paris a day earlier. Though it nominated French jurist Bernard Ulrich as its manager, the other members of the EBA remained anonymous. The league was said to consist of eight teams in two groups, with four cities already confirmed (though not disclosed) and four to be announced.[3] International Basketball Federation (FIBA) secretary general William Jones openly doubted the project (along with national federations) stating it could not work due as there were too few arenas with a capacity over 10,000 to make it profitable. Leclerc was more confident, stating it would be successful thanks to high level of American players that would compose it. He was set to meet with American officials in early May to get support for his project.[4] However, no further announcements were made and the league never materialised.

FIBA opposition to the IBA

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In late April 1974 a syndicate of American businessmen led by the France-based John Coburn announced the creation of the International Basketball Association (IBA) in Paris. Though the league also aimed to create a professional basketball competition in Europe, it adamantly stressed it had no relation whatsoever with the EBA. It had already reportedly sold eight franchises in seven countries (France, Spain, West Germany, Holland, Belgium, Italy and Switzerland) and planned to add up to four more to form two divisions of four to six teams each. A draft of American players not contracted to the NBA or ABA was planned for September, with league play set for November. Though the IBA announced Al McGuire as manager of one the franchises, the Marquette coach publicly stated he had no intention of coaching in Europe.[5]

Coburn, who had just sold his stake in the World Hockey Association's New England Whalers, later fleshed out the composition of the league which would contain teams in Barcelona, Madrid, Brussels, Geneva, The Hague, Munich, Rome and a team shared between Lyon and Grenoble. The league was to have American-European ownership though in effect most of the investors (such as the Development Company of Monroe, Louisiana for the Geneva franchise) would be American. Each franchise cost $60,000 and Coburn warned investors they should be prepared to lose money for the first two years. Some observers like The New York Times' Bernard Kirsch noted the IBA's connection to the unstable WHA and World Football League through Coburn and Munich manager Lee Meade (formerly associated with the ABA, WHA and World TeamTennis),[6] expressing pessimism over the league's stability and its ability to attract European fans.[7] Teams would be composed of 10 players each, with typical salaries of between $15,000 and $20,000 per player. Due to these wages (said to be around $200,000 per team) and operational costs (less than in the U.S. thanks to shorter travel times) it was calculated that each team would have to make a turnover of around $500,000 to make it worthwhile. Most of this was to come from ticket sales of the 62 games planned per team, with an average of 6,000 spectators per game hoped for.[8]

Though the IBA had announced its league was sanctioned by international basketball authorities, FIBA publicly denied sanctioning the league in any way. In fact, William Jones sent a letter in August to national federations expressing his resolute opposition to any professional league in Europe, threatening to expel any player, referee or official who helped it in any way. He also threatened to ban professional teams from any arena used by amateur teams. Despite this, Jones selected Raimundo Saporta and Borislav Stanković to serve as FIBA representatives in talks with the IBA to take place on 3 September in Geneva.[9] This meeting and another on 4 October in Rome proved inconclusive and relations between the two parties seemed strained beyond repair. However, the IBA owners resented Coburn's stance in these negotiations and, after he threatened to scrap the project, contacted FIBA directly to negotiate. They offered to let FIBA have complete oversight of the league and impose its conditions. Coburn was hence removed from the project and the IBA name left with him.[10][11]

League creation: EPBL

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The league was officially named the European Professional Basketball League (EPBL), with its headquarters in Munich, San Diego State coach Dick Davis had resigned to serve as its commissioner.[12] The International Federation would regulate the league conjointly with national federations, deciding on how players would be able to make the irreversible transition to becoming professionals. One of the first concessions was to limit the number of games to 40 (down from 62). [13] A compromise was reached on 18 November between national federations, domestic clubs and professional clubs which broadly followed the requests FIBA had made:

-Clubs would have to pay 1,000$ to the respective federation for each game played in their home country.
-Federations would have the final say on what venues could be used by the pros (conjointly with amateur clubs).
-All of the league's players would be American, with no Europeans under 30 allowed to be signed.[14]

Each professional team was dependent on its respective federation as to where and when it played. Overall, teams were restricted to 25 games overall in their country (5 of which had to be friendly games). Additionally they were only allowed to play on Friday's and Monday's to avoid clashing with domestic matches, unless granted exemptions from their federations. A way to get an exemption to play on a weekend would be to partner with a local team, for example FC Barcelona for the Iberia Superstars, wherein the professionals would cede 40% of ticket sales to the amateur side.[15][16]

It held its player draft on 19 November 1974 in the New York Biltmore Hotel as 166 players were shared between the ten teams. Gene Moore was the first pick (by Barcelona), followed by Shaler Halimon (Switzerland). Other familiar players (mostly from their college days) were John Vallely, Joe Ellis (both Belgium), Luther Rackley, Bill Chamberlain (both Lyon-Grenoble) and Wendell Hudson (London). Dick Davis stressed that none of the league's players would be taken directly from NBA or ABA teams to avoid a salary war with the more established leagues. Effectively the top EPBL players would earn at most $25,000 a year whereas U.S.-based players could earn around $90,000. This meant that the players drafted were described as "marginal pros from the two major leagues". Halimon, the first player drafted to say he would sign a contract, had averaged 6.3 points a game throughout his five-year NBA and ABA career for example. Some of the players such as Eddie Mast or Bob Rosier had trialled with teams in France and Italy but had not been retained. It was also clarified that all of the league's players would be American for the first season, with European players to be added in following seasons once the league established itself.[17][18]

The franchises were announced at the same time, with the eight teams participating in the draft being the Tel-Aviv Sabras, London BICs, Swiss Alpines, Belgium Lions, Madrid Superstars and unnamed teams from Barcelona, Lyon‐Grenoble and Munich. Five teams announced their coaches, respectively Belgium (John Vallely), Tel-Aviv (Herb Brown), Munich (former 76er Larry Jones who would also play), Switzerland (Jack Holley) and Madrid (Beryl Shipley, infamous for his recruiting violations at Southwestern Louisiana).[19] The London team had to pull out of the league shortly after as construction delays meant their arena would not be ready until May 1975. To bring the number of teams to an even number it was then decided that the team from Barcelona, the Catalan Estels, and the Madrid Superstars would be merged for the first season before playing separately the following season. Their respective owners - Sid Franklin and Carlos Pardo for Barcelona, Alan Becker and Enrique Godoy for Madrid - met and agreed to base the team in Barcelona but also play games in Madrid and elsewhere in Spain.[20] Faced with an unwelcoming attitude by French basketball authorities (especially Pierre Mazeaud, sports state secretary) and the country's taxation system, the investors from the Lyon-Grenoble also pulled out of the league.,[21][16] leaving five teams in the competition which would start on 17 January, namely the Superstars, Belgium Lions, Israel Sabras, Munich Eagles and Swiss Alpines.[22]

League play (1975)

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The opening game took place in Munich's Olympic basketball stadium on 17 January 1975, William Jones conducted the tip-off. The home team defeated the Israel Sabras 96-91 before the second game of the double-header saw the Belgium Lions defeat the Swiss Alpines 111-93. Despite some interest from locally based US Army servicemen and the presence of an American TV crew, the turnout proved a disappointment for the organisers as only around 400 to 500 spectators were scattered round a 6,000-seat arena.[23][21]

The Belgians played their first home game on 20 January in Brussels, beating the Sabras 118-117. The Lions were also victorious two days later in Liege, beating the Iberia Superstars 105-99 in the Spaniards' debut.[24] The Swiss played their first home game (in Neuchâtel) on 25 January, losing 105-113 to the Superstars.[25] The Superstars only played their first game in Spain on 3 February (in Mataró) after long negotiations with the Spanish federation,[24][26] they lost 106-107 to the Eagles.[27] The league organised a mini-tournament during the Geneva Motor Show in March 1975. Held in the Patinoire des Vernets it pitted the four best teams in the league (the Lions, Sabras, Eagles and hosts Alpines). The Swiss beat the Eagles 110-91 in the final on 15 March, while the Lions took third place after downing the Sabras 118-97.[28]

The Belgium Lions had raced into the league lead with early wins and at one point held a five win lead over other teams. After a slow start to the season in which the Sabras amassed a 2-7 record whilst playing on the road, the team won eight games in a row to climb up the league table.[29] The two teams met in Israel in late March for a three-game series that would determine the league leader. The home side won three games in a row to replace the Lions at first place. They came back from a 24-point deficit with 12 minutes to go in one of the games, before themselves squandering a 30 points lead in the final game, though they still won 118-104.[30]

On 27 March 1975 it was announced that the league schedule would be cut by ten games and that playoffs would be played between the best ranked sides (namely the Sabras, Lions and Alpines) in a double knock-out format (with Israel receiving a bye) on 3 April in Tel-Aviv.[29][31] The league ended a few days later on the 31st however as both the Belgium and the Swiss teams refused to travel to Israel for the playoffs citing security concerns amidst the ongoing Arab–Israeli conflict. Officials from the Israeli team were incensed as the two had played league games there only a few weeks earlier. Team president (also EPBL president) Bob Hecht offered financial incentives for the teams to complete the playoffs to no avail. It was assumed that the main reasons for this withdrawal were financial as those teams were taking heavy losses and wanted to avoid the costs of travelling and paying players. As the best-ranked team in the league with a 20-10 record, Israel Sabras were crowned league winners that same day.[32][11][33]

The Lions finished second with a 17-10 record, the Alpines third (15-13), Eagles fourth (10-18) and Super Stars last (7-18). Joe Hamilton (Munich) was league top-scorer with 24 points per game, followed by teammate Larry Jones with 23. Roger Brown (Israel) led the rebounding charts with 14 per game ahead of Eddie Mast (Belgium) with 11. Jones and Hamilton traded places in the assists ranking as the former led with 7 per game compared to 4 for the latter. M.L. Carr (Israel) was named the league MVP.[32][34]

Mannschaften

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Vorlage:Location map+

Belgium Lions

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The Lions, who finished second in the league, were based in Brussels (with the Salle Simonet in Anderlecht as home arena), but also played games in Antwerp and Liège. They drew 1,870 and 2,101 spectators for their first two league games but that number was closer to 400 by the end of the league.[24][35] [36] The club's owner was businessman Roy Brown from Skokie, Illinois,[37] Les Patrick served as general manager. Former UCLA star John Vallely served as player-coach of a team which also had Joe Ellis, Eddie Mast, Hank Siemiontkowski and one Belgian, Willy Steveniers.[38][35]

Iberia Superstars

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The Superstars, who finished last in the league, were based in Barcelona (using the Palau Blaugrana as their home arena) but also played games in Badalona, Mataró and L'Hospitalet.[26] Originally created as two separate teams, namely the Catalan Estels (representing Barcelona) and Madrid Superstars, the teams were merged into one in November 1974 to guarantee an even number (at the time) of teams in the league. The teams would have played separately again from the second season onwards.[20] The co-owners were Houston businessman Allen Becker,[37] and Spanish journalist Carlos Pardo, their general manager was Chuck Rohe.[16][15][16] Playing in green and blue, their coach was Del Harris and players included Roy Ebron, Pete Cross and Jeff Halliburton[16] The team had an uneasy relationship with the Spanish Basketball Federation who heavily restricted them in the venues and dates of their games. They were effectively banned from Madrid as Raimundo Saporta, both a FIBA and Real Madrid official, didn't want them to compete with his club.[32][9]

Israel Sabras

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The Sabras, named so after the nickname given to native Israelis (despite the fact that no players were Israeli or even Jewish),[39][30] played in the Yad Eliyahu Arena in Tel-Aviv.[40] The best supported team in the league and eventual league winners, they attracted 70,000 fans over 21 home games, including 5,000 fans for a friendly with the Israel national basketball team. This was achieved thanks to constant promotional efforts (for which they were said to have spent between $45,000 and $50,000), with English adverts taken in the press to attract American immigrants, colour ads posted throughout Tel-Aviv and radio spots. The team was even able to secure the sponsorship of Tempo, Israel's largest soft drink manufacturer, one month into the competition.[39] The team was owned by businessmen Robert Hecht (regional vice-president of the United States Committee Sports for Israel) and J. Livingston Kosberg, while former National Basketball Association (NBA) public relations director Haskell Cohen served as its general manager.[29] Its coach Herb Brown had players such as league MVP M.L. Carr,[34] Roger Brown, Mike Macaluso, Lon Kruger and Henry Dickerson in his team.[11][41]

Munich Eagles

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The Eagles, who finished fourth, were based in Munich (using the McGraw Kaserne gym as home court).[24] They were effectively a touring team as they also played in Augsburg, Berlin, Böblingen, Essen, Leverkusen, Sankt Ilgen, Rüsselsheim and even Cuxhaven in the northern point of the country. They struggled to attract fans (with an average of only 400), with highs of 1,500 in Berlin outdone by lows of 150 in Essen.[11][32] Howard Fine of Baltimore was team owner,[37] former Dallas Chaparrals assistant general manager Lee Meade served as GM.[6] The Eagles were coached by Larry Jones who also played for them, they boasted league top scorer Joe Hamilton and 7-foot-4 center Bob Rosier.

Swiss Alpines

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The Alpines, who finished third, were based in Geneva but also played games in Lausanne, Martigny and Neuchâtel.[11] Banker A.J. Smith and rice farmer B.C. Kirkland from Oak Grove, Louisiana were the team owners.[11] Dean Kirkpatrick, formerly a director of sports development at the University of Houston was general manager while former Nicholls State coach Jack Holley coached the team.[14] Shaler Halimon starred for the team with 20 points a game, also in the team were George Reynolds and Dennis Van Zant.

Format

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Each team would play the others ten times (five at home and five away) for a total of forty games per team. League play would have ended by 30 May and playoffs were then to be held in June though no details were given as to how teams would qualify. Teams would then have played exhibition games in July.[21][12]

Rules

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The EPBL followed the same rules as the American Basketball Association (ABA) and effectively copied its rule book word for word, it even employed former ABA referees such as Ken Sussman. It was played in four quarters of 12 minutes each, used a 30-second shot clock and notably included the ABA's three-point field goal. Players were sent off after 6 personal fouls, however players could be allowed to stay on court if they conceded extra free throws to the opposing team for each foul from that point onwards. There were also white cards given to players, who then had to leave the court for two minutes. One of the main differences was practical, the key wasn't rectangular but trapezoidal as that was the standard used in every European court.[21][27]

Player registration

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FIBA imposed stringent restrictions on the players EPBL clubs were able to sign, the most restrictive being the minimum age limit of 30 for European players (or alternatively players needed to have stopped playing for five years) which meant that only one of the sixty players was European, 36 year-old former Belgian international Willy Steveniers.[38] In addition any European player over the age of 30 could be retained by national federations if they planned to use him as part of their national team. EPBL clubs were also forbidden from signing any American player contracted to an amateur European side.[15] Any player who participated in the league would be banned for life from participating in amateur basketball thereafter, this was the case for Steveniers right after he played his first game.[42]

Aftermath

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After the season ended, Munich played and won a friendly against German Basketball Cup winner SSV Hagen. The income from that game was seized by the German Basketball Federation as the club reportedly hadn't paid all the fees owed for playing in the country. This was seemingly to be the last game of the poorly-supported Eagles. Meanwhile, the Belgium Lions had refused to pay any of the $1,000 per game fees to the Belgian Federation and would likely be barred from playing in the country again.[32] Iberia Superstars officials criticised the Spanish federation and accused it of not having respected the deal agreed between them (the team had been prevented from playing in Madrid thanks to Saporta's influence). They challenged amateur clubs Real Madrid and FC Barcelona (who did not answer) and stated their intention to return the following season.[27][9] The Sabras played a friendly against the Israel national basketball team, winning by 21 points. Haskell, the team's manager was confident of returning the next season.[30] Jack Holley and Shaler Halimon of the Alpines organised organised summer camps for local youths in Geneva through June and July.[43]

At the time of the last regular season game it was announced that the league would return for a second season on 15 November 1975, with a possible eight teams taking part.[44] League president (and Sabras co-owner) Bob Hecht stated in March 1975 that league operatives hadn't expected to make an operating profit the first year and there had "been no disappointments".[37] At a meeting in Antwerp on 9 April between Hecht and Davis and FIBA representatives such as Saporta and Busnel it emerged that the EPBL had lost 2,5 million dollars during the season (though part of this sum could be deducted from American taxes). Despite this, league representatives were confident a second season would take place. FIBA stressed that the same conditions would apply and that the EPBL would be collectively responsible for any of its clubs' failure to follow these conditions (such as the Lions not paying the Belgium federation).[32] Jess Smith, co-owner of the Swiss Alpines, declared in June that a league meeting would be held in Houston and that the league was looking to add franchises, possibly in England, Italy, Ireland, Yugoslavia or France. Echoing Hecht's statement that they expected a loss for the first year, he said team owners saw a future second season as "a break-even year".[11] Despite these statements, a second EPBL season never happened and the league silently disappeared.[27]

Reception

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The level of play was said to be relatively good, with an emphasis on creativity and dynamism that clashed with the more formulaic and methodical style usually seen in Europe. Another difference was the increased physicality and frequent fouls the rules allowed, with Holley describing "extremely rough play".[25][11] Jean-Jacques Maleval from France's L'Équipe was impressed by the spectacular shots made despite aggressive defending, noting the rhythm would be hard to follow for European teams. He also highlighted the quality of the guards' playmaking and ball-handling, conversely noting the centers were less dominant (European amateurs teams tended to exclusively recruit tall forwards as foreign players).[21] Other observers noted the contrast between talented players such as Vallely or Jeff Halliburton and their more anonymous teammates.[45] League president (and Sabras co-owner) Bob Hecht said that EPBL teams were not "on a par with the top teams in the NBA and ABA" but could rival "the worst teams in those leagues".[37]

Observer's such as Pierre Tessier from L'Équipe Basket Magazine pondered whether the European public would be willing to watch a limited number of teams play each other repeatedly (as in the ABA and NBA) within a short period of time.[46] Israel Sabras manager Haskell Cohen lamented that the late start of the season and the cohabitation between amateur and professional clubs meant his club had to play nine home games over ten days, something not even New York crowds could countenance.[40] A similar drawback was the difficult task of creating a fan base from the ground up without any local players or American players known to the European public.[21] In effect most teams struggled to attract crowds as team owners were surprised by the lack of popular support (as averages of at least 1,500 were needed to break even). Belgium Lions trainer Tom Shackelford claimed his team started with about 1,800 spectators which "dwindled down to 300 and 400". The Munich Eagles were also said to draw 400, the Swiss Alpines drew slightly more with around 800 per game.[35][36][32] Games were often organised as double-headers with another game played prior to the EPBL one. For example, in Switzerland, the Alpines' games were preceded by encounters between domestic league teams, with the amateur teams taking a percentage of ticket sales. This led Swiss Le Temps journalist Jean-Pierre Gatoni to observe that only dedicated basketball fans would be prepared to go to these games weekly and these could be hard to find in countries like Switzerland.[25] This was compounded by the American style of entertainment offered which called for many play stoppages and on-court entertainment such as cheerleaders, which meant that games could last more than two hours, something the European public was unused to.[45]

The league's logistics were also slightly haphazard, according to Swiss Alpines coach Jack Holley the team had to practice by "running 300-yard wind sprints down the halls of a hotel in Munich" before the league opener as training facilities weren't available yet. Holley also stressed the amount of travel the teams had to go through. For example, over two days, the Alpines took a 9-hour train ride from Geneva to Brussels, the next morning caught a 7-hour train to Cuxhaven, Germany, on the North Sea, the next day had a 27-hour train ride to Barcelona on the Mediterranean.[11]

What all observers agreed was that the league promoters had been completely ignorant of the European context and their arrogance meant they didn't cater the project to European consumers. Former Munich Eagles manager Lee Meade called the league an "ill-fated effort by some American entrepreneurs who thought because they had money they could shove pro basketball down the throats of Europeans."[6] This meant EPBL owners and managers made little effort to promote their league (with few ads placed in the media) as they assumed bringing professional American-style basketball would be enough to attract fans. Conversely, the most successful team both on and off the court were the Israel Sabras who had a clear promotional strategy and invested heavily in advertising. Despite economic downturn in the country and competition from popular "amateur" clubs such as Maccabi Tel Aviv the Sabras managed to gain a loyal following, attracting over 3,000 fans per game, far more than the average of 400 for Israeli league games. Despite this the team predicted a loss of $260,000 for the season, as ticket prices were low (with many discounts for military personnel or children) and they had to pay their national federation for each home game, a situation shared by all EPBL teams. The only winners in the league's demise were FIBA and its leader William Jones who had succeeded in delaying the advent of professionalism in Europe.[39][32]

Notable players and coaches

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References

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Vorlage:Reflist


  1. ↑ Pierre Tessier: Les pros en France: mythe ou réalité? In: L'Équipe basket magazine. Nr. 29, Februar 1974, S. 17–19 (französisch, gallica.bnf.fr).
  2. ↑ Un beau projet, mais une vive opposition. In: L'Impartial. 17. April 1974, S. 13 (französisch, doc.rero.ch [PDF]).
  3. ↑ Pro cage set for Europe. San Rafael Independent via Newspapers.com, 8. März 1974, abgerufen am 11. November 2017. Vorlage:Subscription required
  4. ↑ Un beau projet mais une vive opposition (deutsch: Gross earnings: 500,000 dollars per club), 17 April 1974, S. 13. Abgerufen im 11 November 2017 (french). 
  5. ↑ Europe pro league planned. The News Herald via Newspapers.com, 30. April 1974, abgerufen am 12. November 2017. Vorlage:Subscription required
  6. ↑ a b c Greg Breining: It's not exactly a Midas touch. In: SI.com. 26. November 1990, abgerufen am 12. November 2017.
  7. ↑ Bernard Kirsch: Talk of the Times. Kansas City Times via Newspapers.com, 30. Juli 1974, abgerufen am 12. November 2017. Vorlage:Subscription required
  8. ↑ Revenu brut: 500.000 dollars par club! (deutsch: Gross earnings: 500,000 dollars per club), 25 September 1974, S. 19. Abgerufen im 11 November 2017 (french). 
  9. ↑ a b c On remue à nouveau côté pro (deutsch: Getting active again on the pros side) In: France Basket Hebdo, 29 August 1974, S. 7 (french). 
  10. ↑ Les nouvelles vues de la F.I.B.A. sur le professionnalisme (deutsch: F.I.B.A.'s new views on professionalism) In: France Basket Hebdo, 24 October 1974, S. 3 (french). 
  11. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Referenzfehler: Ungültiges <ref>-Tag; kein Text angegeben für Einzelnachweis mit dem Namen Louisiana.
  12. ↑ a b Referee to help start European basketball. Los Angeles Times via Newspapers.com, 20. November 1974, S. 90, abgerufen am 18. November 2017. Vorlage:Subscription required
  13. ↑ La FIBA controlará la Liga profesional europea. (deutsch: FIBA will control the European professional basketball league). ABC, 19. Oktober 1974, S. 71, abgerufen am 17. November 2017 (spanisch).
  14. ↑ a b La Suisse et le basket professionnel. (deutsch: Switzerland and professional basketball). Le Temps, 7. Dezember 1975, S. 8, abgerufen am 11. November 2017 (französisch).
  15. ↑ a b c Manuel E. Grau: Los "Iberia Superstars" preparan su presentación. (deutsch: "Iberia Superstars" are preparing their debut). Mundo Deportivo, 30. Januar 1975, S. 19, abgerufen am 11. November 2017 (spanisch).
  16. ↑ a b c d e Referenzfehler: Ungültiges <ref>-Tag; kein Text angegeben für Einzelnachweis mit dem Namen Iberia.
  17. ↑ Europe drafts 166 US cagers. The Journal Standard via Newspapers.com, 20. November 1974, abgerufen am 12. November 2017. Vorlage:Subscription required
  18. ↑ Halimon hopes Europe cage loop success. High Point Enterprise via Newspapers.com, 21. November 1974, abgerufen am 12. November 2017. Vorlage:Subscription required
  19. ↑ Gerald Eskenazi: Europe basketball holds first draft. In: NYTimes.com. 20. November 1974, abgerufen am 12. November 2017.
  20. ↑ a b Juan Antonio Casanova: Baloncesto: La primera liga Europea Profesional es un hecho. (deutsch: Basketball: The first European professional league is a fact). La Vanguardia, 30. November 1974, S. 41, abgerufen am 17. November 2017 (spanisch).
  21. ↑ a b c d e f Jean-Jacques Maleval: Professionnalisme européen – let's go (deutsch: European professionalism – let's go) In: L'Équipe basket hebdomadaire, 29 January 1975, S. 8–9 (french). 
  22. ↑ Championnat "pro" européen: cinq équipes seulement. (deutsch: "Pro" European league: only five teams). Le Temps, 2. Januar 1975, S. 6, abgerufen am 11. November 2017 (französisch).
  23. ↑ Pro basketball draws 400 in European debut, The New York Times, 18 January 1975 
  24. ↑ a b c d Los Superstars perdieron su primer encuentro. (deutsch: The Superstars lose their first game). La Vanguardia, 23. Januar 1975, S. 41, abgerufen am 17. November 2017 (spanisch).
  25. ↑ a b c Jean-Pierre Gattoni: Les débuts en Suisse du basket professionnel. (deutsch: The start of professional basketball in Switzerland). Le Temps, 27. Januar 1975, S. 7, abgerufen am 18. November 2017 (französisch).
  26. ↑ a b 99-105: Los "Iberia Superstars" se presentan mañana en Mataró. (deutsch: The "Iberia Superstars" will play tomorrow in Mataró). Mundo Deportivo, 2. Februar 1975, S. 19, abgerufen am 11. November 2017 (spanisch).
  27. ↑ a b c d Juan Antonio Casanova: La efímera Liga Europea Profesional (1975). (deutsch: The ephemeral European Professional League (1975)). In: FEB.es. 17. Januar 2016, abgerufen am 19. November 2017 (spanisch).
  28. ↑ Aux "Alpines" le salon du tournoi. (deutsch: The Show's tournament goes to the "Alpines"). Le Temps, 17. März 1975, S. 8, abgerufen am 13. November 2017 (französisch).
  29. ↑ a b c Haskell Cohen: Jews in sports. Texas Jewish Post via Texashistory.UNT.edu, 10. April 1975, S. 7, abgerufen am 12. November 2017.
  30. ↑ a b c Haskell Cohen: Jews in sports. Texas Jewish Post via Texashistory.UNT.edu, 24. April 1975, S. 8, abgerufen am 19. November 2017.
  31. ↑ Around the world in Brussels. The Salt Lake Tribune via Newspapers.com, 27. März 1975, abgerufen am 11. November 2017. Vorlage:Subscription required
  32. ↑ a b c d e f g h Jean-Jacques Maleval: Professionnalisme européen – Go home! (deutsch: European professionalism – Go home!) In: L'Équipe basket hebdomadaire, 16 April 1975, S. 8–9 (french). 
  33. ↑ Sports News Briefs. In: NYTimes.com. 1. April 1975, abgerufen am 11. November 2017.
  34. ↑ a b M.L. Carr 2012. North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, abgerufen am 19. November 2017.
  35. ↑ a b c European failure. El Paso Herald-Post via Newspapers.com, 22. April 1975, S. 8, abgerufen am 12. November 2017. Vorlage:Subscription required
  36. ↑ a b Jean-Pierre Gattoni: Basket: Tournoi du Salon avec les "pros". (deutsch: Basketball:The Show's Tournament with the "pros"). Le Temps, 13. März 1975, abgerufen am 13. November 2017 (französisch).
  37. ↑ a b c d e Fan response to basketball good in Europe. Los Angeles Times via Newspapers.com, 20. März 1975, S. 99, abgerufen am 12. November 2017. Vorlage:Subscription required
  38. ↑ a b Vorlage:Cite magazine
  39. ↑ a b c Burton Halpern: Israel's newest "product" is professional basketball. The Sentinel via Jpress.NLI.org.il, 5. Juni 1975, abgerufen am 19. November 2017.
  40. ↑ a b Haskell Cohen: Wrestler to return for Olympic try. The Jewish Floridian via UFDC.UFC.edu, 9. Mai 1975, abgerufen am 12. November 2017.
  41. ↑ Coach file – Herb Brown. In: NBA.com. Abgerufen am 11. November 2017.
  42. ↑ Pourquoi Steveniers a-t-il été radié? Et non Sir William Jones? (deutsch: Why was Steveniers banned? And not Sir William Jones?) In: France Basket Hebdo, 30 January 1975, S. 45 (french). 
  43. ↑ Cours pour les jeunes organisés par les pros américains. (deutsch: Classes for youth organised by American pros). Le Temps, 6. Juni 1975, S. 10, abgerufen am 11. November 2017 (französisch).
  44. ↑ "Pros": c'est terminé. (deutsch: "Pros": it's finished). Le Temps, 24. März 1975, S. 8, abgerufen am 11. November 2017 (französisch).
  45. ↑ a b 99-105: Los "Iberia Superstars", cortos de forma, batidos por los "Belgium Lions". (deutsch: 99-105: The "Iberia Superstars", out of form, beaten by the "Belgium Lions"). Mundo Deportivo, 8. Februar 1975, S. 30, abgerufen am 11. November 2017 (spanisch).
  46. ↑ Vorlage:Cite magazine
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