The American Basketball Association (ABA) today announced that it will form a new player development league next summer. “The ABA has grown as no other professional sports league in history,” stated ABA CEO Joe Newman. “We are already over 170 teams including those playing this season and those starting in 2025. This provides around 2000 opportunities for professional players. However, our tryouts attract over 8000 young players seeking professional careers and we feel that it is time for us to help develop some of this young talent and to help fulfill their pro basketball dreams.”

Shawn Pratt, owner of the ABA’s Bennington Martens, has been appointed President of the ABA D League and will develop a special tournament format in New England that will be open to teams and individual players eager to enter the professional ranks. The format will be a prototype of similar tournaments to be held throughout the country. Teams will play several games over a short period of time during which professional coaches and scouts will evaluate potential pro prospects and help them secure positions on professional sports team.

Shawn Pratt has a deep love for basketball which traces back to his roots in Brooklyn NY where he honed his skills on the vibrant playgrounds of the city. He played at Abraham Lincoln High School before playing at Montgomery Community College and Southern Vermont College. Following his college career, Shawn ventured into coaching leaving a lasting impact at Southern Vermont College where he demonstrated outstanding performance on and off the court. His commitment to youth leadership, social justice and educational equity has shined through as an AAU coach for Team Albany and the Celtics program.

“There is an amazing amount of young talent out there,” added Pratt. “Our goal with the ABA D League will be to identify them and help provide additional skills so that they can have a career as professional players. We are working on the format and the timing of the introduction of the ABA D League and we plan to roll it out in several parts of the country with the prototype in New England.”

For more information about the ABA D League, contact shawnpratt802@gmail.com