After a hiatus of over 20 years, SlamBall is ready to make its long-awaited return — and it’s bringing along a huge list of high-profile investors.
The hybrid sport combining basketball and football with trampolines will return in July with a six-week regular season and one week of playoffs in Las Vegas.
First launched in 2002 by Mason Gordon and Mike Tollin, SlamBall was revived after fans of the early-2000s phenomenon started a social media campaign that racked up 200 million views for the hashtag #BringBackSlamBall.
“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.”
Television distribution discussions are underway, and Tollin’s Mandalay Sports Media — which produced the Emmy-winning Michael Jordan docuseries “The Last Dance” — is developing a docuseries around the sport.
As part of the sport’s return, which was first announced in August, SlamBall completed an $11 million Series A funding round led by Roger Ehrenberg’s IA Sports Ventures and Eberg Capital.
The round of funding included strategic investors from around sports and entertainment.
- David Blitzer, co-founder of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment
- David Adelman, co-owner of the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils
- Michael Rubin, CEO of Fanatics
- Gary Vaynerchuk, Entrepreneur
- Blake Griffin, Boston Celtics power forward and six-time NBA All-Star
Accelerate Sports provided investment banking services for the round. Tollin and MSM are represented by UTA.
