Former NBA players John Wallace and Carlos Boozer join Schwartz on Sports to discuss the Champions Basketball League’s first game on Aug. 23 at Nassau Coliseum.
Featuring more than 19 former NBA players, the new Champions Basketball League will debut next Wednesday, Aug. 23 at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island. The league’s first ever game will feature the Gotham Ballers against the Los Angeles SuperStars and tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m ET.
The Ballers will have very familiar names to local basketball fans with former Knicks stars Walt “Clyde” Frazier and Earl “The Pearl” Monroe manning the front office as team president and general manager, respectively, along with former Knicks and Syracuse player John Wallace serving as head coach.
“We’re all excited about the game for next week,” Wallace told me on the podcast. “We can’t wait. It’s been a long time coming so we’re definitely all excited.”
The Ballers’s roster includes the likes of Al Harrington, Jamaal Tinsley and Anthony Mason Jr., the son of the late former Knicks favorite Anthony Mason. Los Angeles will bring a number of former NBA stars to Long Island including Raja Bell, Stephen Jackson and Carlos Boozer, who told me during our chat that he is eyeing a return to the NBA.
“I definitely am,” said the 35-year-old Boozer, a two-time NBA all-star. “I’ve been talking to a few teams.”
With the Champions Basketball League, fans will be treated to a 5-on-5, full-court NBA type contest with a pregame youth shoot-around for fans under 13 as well as a postgame meet and greet. The league is expected to expand to up to 24 teams in 2018 and this year’s showcase season will conclude with a championship tournament next month in Las Vegas.
NY Roster:
LA Roster:
For more information about the Championship Basketball League, visit www.gothamballers.com www.champshoops.com.