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SLAMMING FOR 3 — Remember SlamBall, the mid-2000s sport that combined basketball, football, hockey and trampolines? Well, it's making a comeback.
Everybody's favorite excuse to watch Spike TV will return after a 20-year hiatus for a six-week regular season and one-week playoff in Las Vegas beginning in July, according to Front Office Sports.
The sport that first launched in 2002 by Mason Gordon and Mike Tollin, revived itself with a viral internet campaign that included more than 200 million views on the #BringBackSlamBall hashtag and went dark again in 2008, will attempt another comeback.
In addition to Gordon and Tollin, an acclaimed producer whose credits include ESPN's "The Last Dance," the latest attempt is armed with a round of big-named investors that include Real Salt Lake and Philadelphier 76ers co-owner David Blitzer, Sixers partner David Adelman, Boston Celtics forward Blake Griffin, and Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin, among others.
"It's an incredible feeling to be back, and especially by popular demand," Gordon said. "I want to thank SlamBall's persistent and passionate fans for making this comeback possible and our investors for helping make the dream real. This is a true Cinderella story — only with helmets, pads, and trampolines."
NEWS: After more than 20 years, SlamBall is officially returning in July with a six-week regular season and one-week playoff in Vegas. pic.twitter.com/TcEH1rs5cS
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) March 21, 2023
The game combined basketball with the full-contact nature of American football, unlimited substitutions of hockey, and trampolines where teams of four players each competed over four five-minute quarters to score as many points as possible — with slam dunks being awarded the maximum point total of 3 points apiece.
The game had three primary positions: handlers, which ran the team similar to a point guard; gunners, the primary scorer; and stoppers, who protect the rim with a variety of rules that included legal goaltending if a shot is from inside the trampoline area.
Television and media distribution will be announced at a later date, in addition to specific details about teams, players, venues and rule changes.
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