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NBA legend?
NBA LEGEND KENNY SMITH NAMED PBL COMMISSIONER
Two-Time NBA Champion To Oversee Basketball’s Fan-First Digital Revolution
(ROCKVILLE, MD). NBA legend and TNT basketball analyst Kenny “The Jet” Smith has joined the Premier Basketball League as its commissioner, bringing a wealth of basketball and multi-media experience to the cutting-edge new league.
“We are very proud that an executive of Kenny Smith’s caliber has seen the dynamic potential of the Premier Basketball League and has agreed to help us execute our vision of a fan-first digital basketball revolution,” said PBL CEO and President Tom Doyle.
As commissioner, Smith will oversee many key PBL initiatives, including the launch of the PBL internet tv channel and a multi-player virtual video game. Additionally, he will drive the league’s “Fans Come First” mission, requiring that all players participate in fan meet-and-greets after each game to sign autographs and pose for pictures and ensuring that ticket and concession prices remain fan-friendly.
The Premier Basketball League is a ten-team independent league focusing on fan experience, high-quality organizations and community involvement. Player compensation is tied to wins and losses, encouraging a team-first mentality over individual accomplishments. The league is headquartered in Rockville, MD and Chicago, Illinois and includes teams from Montgomery County, MD, Rochester, N.Y., Reading, Pa., Wilmington, N.C., Jacksonville, Chicago, Dallas, Little Rock, Quad Cities, Ill., and Rockford, Ill. The PBL season begins on Jan. 4, 2008.
Smith, a Queens, NY native, had an illustrious 10 year career in the NBA, winning two NBA Championships with the Houston Rockets. He is the Rockets all-time three-point field goal percentage leader and the career assist record-holder at the University of North Carolina. He is currently a studio analyst for TNT’s NBA coverage and provides analysis for the New York Knicks on MSG Network. He also hosts a Sirius Satellite Radio show, is a Yahoo! NBA analyst and appears in several NBA-themed video games.
For more information about the Premier Basketball League, visit www.pblproball.com or contact Vice President of League Operations, Mark Schlossenberg at (301) 424-8612.
http://www.pblproball.com/press/leag...SmithNamed.htm
Several of these teams are former ABA squads that wanted to get out of that trainwreck of a league. They are doing some weird things like starting out with only a 20 game schedule from January to March, but it's entirely possible they did that to ensure all the teams could make it through the season and perhaps pick up some players dropped from the CBA or a folded ABA squad (The ABA has seen TEN teams fail since the beginning of the season!).
Getting Smith (and a few other recognizable names I saw on their sites) could signal they mean business. They have also gone through the trouble of registering with FIBA and just had a PBL squad play in a FIBA Americas tournament this week. Interesting stuff.
NBA legend?
It is a press release, after all.
Maybe broadcasting counts.
I like Kenny Smith on TNT. The mix the three of them, (Smith, Barkley and Ernie Johnson), bring is great fun to watch/listen to.
I hope he does well as the PBL Commissioner.
That's cool. Congrats Kenny.
I think Smith had the nickname first.
I remember him talking about it and joking that Terry should be paying him royalties everytime Terry is called "The Jet."
That's very interesting. High profile move for the PBL - I think signalling business is right.
It's tough to get a read on what their overall goal could be, but the PBL is rumored they have a lot of money behind them. Minor league basketball below the D-League level is an embarrassing mess right now thanks mainly to Joe Newman and Isaiah Lord Thomas III. I'm hoping the PBL and CBA can salvage and stabilize it for the fall and the IBL and UBL can do the same for the spring leagues.
10 year illustrious career
The Premier League is ed
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