Look Out Nba, Cba

A group of former sports executives and agents led by former San Francisco 49ers counsel Paul Martha are forming a new pro basketball league.

The International Basketball League plans to begin playing in November 1997 in 10 North American cities. Teams will be located in non-NBA markets, and all arenas must hold at least 12,000.

Unlike the NBA or the CBA, the IBL will operate under a single-entity structure. All teams and players will be employees of a single corporation. Investors will buy into the league rather than individual franchises.

The league already is eyeing future expansion to other continents, especially in the Mediterranean, where recent surveys show basketball’s popularity rivals or surpasses that of soccer.

The IBL expects to sign not only former college players, but former high school players who do not enter college.