Announced almost a year ago, the return of SlamBall is now official since the new season of this basketball with trampolines began Friday evening, on ESPN.
This movement had been very popular at the beginning of the 2000s and it is coming back adapting to the spirit of the times, with a 4-point line even if, obviously, everyone expects above all the duels in the air and big dunks.
For its return, twenty years later, the SlamBall did not want to solicit NBA stars, preferring to rely on historical figures. Among the players of this 2023 season, there is even four sons of 2000s gamers.
“We bet on continuity and we don’t have, say, Chris Bosh coaching a team… We can’t sell that to people in an authentic way. People are not mistaken, believes Mason Gordon, the inventor of the SlamBall, for The Athleticin an indirect tackle to Ice Cube and its Big 3, which does not appreciate the competition of this new league. “But the idea that these are the best SlamBall players and coaches, that they’re here to teach the next generation how to make SlamBall a world power sport, that’s the big idea. »
Mike Tollin, who was also behind the creation of the sport, also adds that this year SlamBall is getting more competitive. “The coaches are not only focused on the show aspect, but also on winning. The first time was a TV show. It’s a sport and the guys want to win. »
What’s next? We already know that there will be a second season next summer, but Mason Gordon sees further: make it a traveling competition, which settles in a city for several days.
“We want our Australian Open or our Tokyo tournament”he compares with the ATP circuit in tennis. “By doing this, we will globalize this sport in less time than it took for traditional sports to become truly global. »
