The San Francisco City Cats has joined the American Basketball Association (ABA) starting in the upcoming 2018-19 season. The City Cats are owned by entrepreneur Michael Steadman, who has strong personal, business and athletic roots in the Bay Area.  As a first-time owner of a professional sports franchise, Michael is pulling together his organization in terms of philosophy, infrastructure and activities to insure a strong chance for success.

The team plans to  play their home games in San Francisco and will compete in the Far West Division of the American Basketball Association. The league will be entering its 19th season and has grown to become the largest professional sports league in the US. 

The League

The American Basketball Association (ABA) is a men’s semiprofessional basketball league.  The league has grown to become the largest professional sports league in the world, no other league even approaches the ABA as it relates to size.  In 1999 Joe Newman and Richard P. Tinkham founded the league. It is the re-launch of the original ABA which merged with the NBA in 1976.  Tinkham co-founded both the original ABA and the Indiana Pacers.

The current ABA bears no direct relation to the original American Basketball Association that merged with the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1976.  The present ABA bought the rights to the name from the NBA. The N.B.A., which owns the trademark to the A.B.A.,

Some Basic ABA information and rules.

• The ABA season runs from November through April (including playoffs).
• Teams are community driven, with a focus on giving back to their communities.
• The ABA has unique rules which allow for a faster pace leading to a higher scoring and more exciting event.
• Guard driven league results in 48 minutes of high paced action
• Half-Court violation: the ABA is 7 seconds opposed to 8 seconds in the NBA to get across the half-court line. If an ABA team is not successful in getting over the half-court line within 7 seconds, it results in a turnover which initiates the 3D light
• When the 3D Light is on: 2 pt. shots = 3 pts. | 3 pt. shots = 4 pts. | a half-court shot = 5 pts.
• Six Fouls leads to a technical foul and the ball | a player in the ABA cannot foul out of the game, but after six fouls it results in a technical and the opposing team gets the ball.

The San Francisco City Cats mission is to professionally develop a world-class "outside the box" thinking Sports Franchise so that we may endeavor to set us apart from the competition.

We will accomplish this by:

► Mutual respect for each other, and a commitment to excellence, innovation, integrity and quality in everything we do. 

► By providing our guests with superior entertainment in a clean, secure, and comfortable environment—win or lose—regardless of their interest level in basketball. 

► By helping our sponsors build their brands and grow their business. 

►By treating our respective constituencies with respect, appreciation, and as we ourselves would want to be treated and serviced. In other words, by putting our fans and sponsors first every single day—and meaning it. 

► By making our community a better place to live through our support of worthy social causes. 

►By involving our guests in the game as active participants—not merely spectators. 

►  By knowing who and where our fans are, and reaching out to them. 

►  By working hard to make ABA basketball the most popular sport in our community and by selling and humanizing our players to everyone we meet. 

► By being proactive and accountable in carrying out our mission. 

San Francisco City Cats Home Facilities