SlamBall has made the investment to relaunch its sport this summer after more than 20 years since the American alternative sport was closed down due to declining ratings.
SlamBall closed an $11 million Series A round of funding led by Roger Ehrenberg, IA Sports Ventures, and Eberg Capital.
NBA player Blake Griffin also participated in the round.
It took founder and CEO Mason Gordon and Mike Tollin – a producer behind the popular Chicago Bulls docuseries “The Last Dance” who helped launch the league the first time – nine months to secure their full roster of investors.
SlamBall will be returning in July as a six-week series with a seventh week of playoffs. It will take place in Las Vegas. Each night, three games are played.
Tollin stated that he would not return to the sport unless the market was favorable for alternative sports and if he had the investor group he wanted. According to the founders, SlamBall is to the NBA as the UFC to boxing.
The founders of SlamBall are still in talks with potential distribution partners. However, they plan to have the games aired on traditional TV networks, streaming services, and social media platforms.
Tollins said that they have been in talks with top streaming and broadcast distributors. These discussions are continuing this week. They declined to comment on potential partners.
Other top investors participating in the funding round include David Blitzer of Blackstone and founder of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin, VaynerMedia founder Gary Vaynerchuk, Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils co-owner David Adelman.
SlamBall aired originally on The National Network in the early 2000s, which then became Spike TV.
