Tulsa to get pro basketball team

Tuesday, March 22nd 2005, 2:00 pm

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ Tulsa is one of four cities getting a professional basketball team in the National Basketball Development League, NBA Commissioner David Stern has announced.

The league is nearing the end of its fourth season and works to develop players for NBA teams.

Stern said Monday that Tulsa, Austin and Fort Worth, Texas, and Albuquerque, N.M. will join the current six-team league that plays a 48-game regular season from Nov. 19 through April 9.

The four new members will be owned and operated by Southwest Basketball L.L.C., which is headed by former Indiana Pacers general manager David Kahn.

``I'm so excited to do this,'' Kahn said. ``We've selected a region that loves basketball.

``We know football is king there, but basketball is the second most popular sport.''

Tulsa has not had a men's professional basketball team since having a Continental Basketball Association team from 1988-92.

The Tulsa team does not have a name yet and officials said a name-the-team contest will be held.