Jacksonville Giants
Encyclopedia
The Jacksonville Giants are a professional minor league
basketball
team based in Jacksonville, Florida
, who play in the new American Basketball Association
(ABA). They joined the ABA as an expansion team
for the 2010–2011 season. They play their home games at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
.
. November 2010, it was announced the team would be named the Jacksonville Giants.
Sholes signed a contract with the city's major indoor venue, the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
, to use for home games, and contracted with television and radio stations to broadcast games.
The Giants had their debut on December 4, 2010, defeating the San Francisco Rumble
182–124.
The Jacksonville Giants ended its season with a 23-0 regular season record.
Gold Medalist and former Duke standout Christian Laettner
joined the ABA Jacksonville Giants. Watch this Press Conference as Laettner discusses the Giants and his upcoming participation with the team in Jacksonville, Florida. Laettner will play for the 2011-2012 Jacksonville Giants - by Miller on Sports
Minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team based in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, who play in the new American Basketball Association
American Basketball Association (2000–present)
The American Basketball Association, often abbreviated as ABA, is a semi-professional men's basketball league that was founded in 1999. The current ABA has no affiliation with the original American Basketball Association that merged with the National Basketball Association in 1976...
(ABA). They joined the ABA as an expansion team
Expansion team
An expansion team is a brand new team in a sports league. The term is most commonly used in reference to the North American major professional sports leagues, but is applied to sports leagues worldwide that use a closed franchise system of league membership. The term comes from the expansion of the...
for the 2010–2011 season. They play their home games at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
The Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena is a 15,000 seat multi-purpose arena in Jacksonville, Florida. It was built in 2003 as part of Mayor John Delaney's Better Jacksonville Plan to replace the outdated Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum....
.
History
In July 2010 Jacksonville, Florida, based attorney Ron Sholes, P.A., announced the acquisition of a American Basketball AssociationAmerican Basketball Association (2000–present)
The American Basketball Association, often abbreviated as ABA, is a semi-professional men's basketball league that was founded in 1999. The current ABA has no affiliation with the original American Basketball Association that merged with the National Basketball Association in 1976...
. November 2010, it was announced the team would be named the Jacksonville Giants.
Sholes signed a contract with the city's major indoor venue, the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
The Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena is a 15,000 seat multi-purpose arena in Jacksonville, Florida. It was built in 2003 as part of Mayor John Delaney's Better Jacksonville Plan to replace the outdated Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum....
, to use for home games, and contracted with television and radio stations to broadcast games.
The Giants had their debut on December 4, 2010, defeating the San Francisco Rumble
San Francisco Rumble
The San Francisco Rumble is a team of the American Basketball Association that began play in 2007. The Rumble play their home games at the historic Kezar Pavilion, former home to the city's previous ABA team, the San Francisco Pilots....
182–124.
The Jacksonville Giants ended its season with a 23-0 regular season record.
Christian Laettner
On October 6, 2011, 1992 Olympic "Dream Team"1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team
The 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team, nicknamed the "Dream Team", was the first American Olympic team to feature active NBA players. Often considered one of the strongest teams assembled in any sport, it defeated its opponents by an average of almost 44 points en route to the gold ...
Gold Medalist and former Duke standout Christian Laettner
Christian Laettner
Christian Donald Laettner is a retired American professional basketball player and entrepreneur. He had a distinguished college and national career, and played in the National Basketball Association for thirteen seasons, from 1992–2005. He is presently a minority holder for the Major League...
joined the ABA Jacksonville Giants. Watch this Press Conference as Laettner discusses the Giants and his upcoming participation with the team in Jacksonville, Florida. Laettner will play for the 2011-2012 Jacksonville Giants - by Miller on Sports