Inaugural Minor League Basketball Convention Tips Off in Chicago Saturday

CHICAGO, Sept. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to the current landscape of professional basketball, the first Annual Minor League Basketball Convention will be held this coming Saturday September 10th at the Four Points Sheraton - Chicago O'Hare and will focus on the idea of creating a unified front for minor league basketball in the United States. The inaugural event is hosted by the Premier Basketball League (PBL) and in addition to the PBL, convention registrants are attending from the International Basketball League (IBL), Continental Basketball League (CBL), and the American Basketball Association (ABA). Also attending are prospective team owners and new league leaders from across the nation.

This convention was a large goal in the eyes of it's creator, Mark King, owner of the Florida Flight professional basketball team of the Continental Basketball League (CBL).  King's initial objective was to get as many leagues possible to attend this convention in hopes that they would be able to create a United Basketball Federation of America (UBFA), a national model that would center in forming standards to be followed by the teams and recognized by the sponsors, venues, and most importantly, the fans.

"I spent a year working for an ABA team with the expectation of a salary," said King. "The position turned into an unpaid internship because financial obligations could not be met. If leagues like the ABA are not going to do their due diligence and verify the business plans and financial backing of their member teams, the UBFA will," commented King in a recent interview.

President and CEO of the Premier Basketball League and Host for Saturday's event, Brij M. Desai's goal is to have all teams adopt this pledge to give back to their respective communities.

The idea of this convention was presented to all minor league basketball teams and their leagues' offices, and they were all encouraged to attend and contribute to creating standard operating procedures for each league and their respective teams. Invitations to attend the inaugural convention were extended to the key leaders in the American Basketball Association (ABA), the International Basketball League (IBL) and other independent leagues in the United States. Representatives from all leagues have confirmed their attendance.

Online registration can be found at www.mlbconvention.com, or you can contact register@mlbconvention.com or Mark King at (407) 592-9841.

SOURCE Premier Basketball League