Basketball has been a popular sport in Maryland for many years.
Baltimore Clippers. Baltimore’s second foray into professional basketball coincided with the opening of a new 6,200-seat indoor arena—the Baltimore Coliseum—at 2201 North Monroe Street. Following the 1938-1939 season, the American Basketball League (ABL) transferred yet another New York franchise, the Brooklyn Visitations, to Baltimore, where the team assumed its new identity as the Baltimore Clippers. Though one player on the Clippers—Robert F. (Bobby) McDermott, ABL scoring champion in 1939-1940—attained individual success, the team as a whole did not. After two seasons in the Baltimore Coliseum, the Clippers folded shortly before the 1941-1942 season.
Baltimore Bullets. From 1944 to 1973, several teams were called the Baltimore Bullets. The first Bullets team played from 1944 to 1947 in the American Basketball League. After joining the Basketball Association of America in 1947, the Bullets won the League Championship in 1948. When the Basketball Association of America became part of the National Basketball Association in 1949, the Bullets remained in that league until the team disbanded in 1954. The next Baltimore Bullets team played in the Eastern Professional Basketball League from 1958 to 1961, winning the Championship in their final year. The last Baltimore Bullets team, formerly the Chicago Zephyrs, played from 1963 until 1973.
Capital Bullets. In 1973, the Baltimore Bullets moved to Landover, Maryland, and changed their name to the Capital Bullets. They played for only one season, 1973-1974, under that name. The Capital Bullets were then renamed the Washington Bullets the following season. In 1997, the team was renamed once again, this time as the Washington Wizards and moved from Landover to the new MCI Center (now Capital One Arena) in Washington, DC.
Baltimore BayRunners. In the Baltimore Arena, the Baltimore BayRunners played during the 1999-2000 season. This team was a charter member of the locally-based International Basketball League (IBL), a professional eight-team league headquartered on the eighth floor of the Baltimore World Trade Center. In its brief two-year existence, the League had a nationwide presence. During its first year, outside of Maryland, the League fielded teams in California (San Diego Stingrays), Missouri (St. Louis Swarm), Nevada (Las Vegas Silver Bandits), New Jersey (Trenton Shooting Stars), New Mexico (New Mexico Slam), Ohio (Cincinnati Stuff), and Virginia (Richmond Rhythm).
The BayRunners played in the IBL East Conference, along with Cincinnati, Richmond, and Trenton. The IBL West Conference included Las Vegas, New Mexico, San Diego, and St. Louis. Six out of the eight teams were owned by individual owners, with the remaining two—Baltimore and Las Vegas—being owned by the League itself. Before the League’s inaugural season, Cal Ripken, Jr., star baseball player for the Baltimore Orioles, became a minority owner, when he purchased 10% of the BayRunners. He agreed to purchase the remaining 90% from the League when, and if, additional investors were secured. Yet, after one year, no additional investors stepped forward. Without a viable long-term owner, the Baltimore BayRunners suspended operations in November 2000, shortly before the start of its second season.
Despite Baltimore no longer having a team, the League remained in operation, headquartered in Baltimore, for the 2000-2001 season. In February 2001, the League expanded when it absorbed teams from the defunct Continental Basketball Association (CBA) in five states: Connecticut (Connecticut Pride), Illinois (Rockford Lightning), Indiana (Gary Steelheads), Michigan (Grand Rapids Hoops), and South Dakota (Sioux Falls Skyforce). The League folded that summer of 2001.
Formerly known as North America Premier Basketball (NAPB), the Basketball League (TBL) is a professional basketball organization that formed in 2018. Originally launched with eight teams, the League now has over 35 teams from the U.S., including Maryland, and Canada. Another team, the Baltimore Venom, is scheduled to join the League within its Atlantic Northeast Division.
Frederick Flying Cows. Based in Frederick, Maryland, the Frederick Flying Cows team started in 2023, and joined the Basketball League in 2024 as part of the Atlantic Northeast Division in the East Conference. In 2025, the Frederick Flying Cows left the Basketball League and became a founding member of the new 8-team 94x50 League, formerly the U. S. Basketball League (USBL), in 2026. The Frederick Flying Cows play home games in the Woodsboro Bank Arena on the campus of Hood College.
DMV Soldiers. The DMV Soldiers organized in Charles County, Maryland, in 2025 and joined the Basketball League in 2026 as part of the Mid-Atlantic Division.. The DMV Soldiers' home games are played at St. Charles High School in Waldorf.
Baltimore Rhythm. The Baltimore Rhythm team formed in 2025 and joined the new 94x50 League in 2026. Home games are held at Goucher College and Harford Community College.
The UpShot League is a professional women's basketball league that was formed in 2025 with its first season in 2026. UpShot Baltimore, a League expansion team, was founded in 2025 with a planned debut date of May 2027. Hone games will be played at the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena at the University of Maryland Baltimore County in Catonsville.
Angel Reese, a professional basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), plays for the Chicago Sky team. Born in Randallstown, Maryland, Reese played basketball at the University of Maryland, College Park, and then at Louisiana State University, where, in April 2023, she helped the school win its first NCAA championship. In July 2023, Reese played for the United States in the 2023 FIBA Women's AmeriCup, held in León, Mexico, helping the national team win a silver medal. Following her declaration for the WNBA draft in April 2024, Reese was selected by the Chicago Sky as the seventh overall pick and made her professional debut in May 2024. In July 2024, Reese was selected to play in the WNBA All-Star Game, held in Phoenix, Arizona, and became the first rookie to have a double-double (points & rebounds) in such a game. In September 2024, Reese set the WNBA's single-season rebound record.
SEMI-PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL
Several semi-professional basketball teams have played in Maryland. The American Basketball Association (ABA), a minor league that formed in 1999, had several Maryland teams within its ranks over the years, including the Maryland Nighthawks (2004-2007), the Baltimore Pearls/Bay Lions (2005-2007), the Maryland Marvels (2009-2010), the Baltimore Hawks (2015-2025), and the PG Valor (2016-).
The Premier Basketball League (PBL) was launched in 2007 and lasted until 2017. Its Maryland team was the Maryland Nighthawks/GreenHawks (2007-2010).
Formed in 2010, the Atlantic Coast Professional Basketball League (ACPBL) was originally made up of eight teams, including the Washington GreenHawks (2010-2011). It changed its name in 2012 to the American Professional Basketball League (APBL) and eventually expanded to include several Maryland teams, including the Baltimore Lords of War (2018-2019), the Beltway Bombers (2010-2019), and the Harford Buccaneers (2018-2019). The League folded in 2019.
The Maryland Nighthawks were launched in 2004 as part of the American Basketball Association. The team left in 2007 to become a founding member of the Premier Basketball League (PBL). The team was renamed the Maryland GreenHawks in 2009. Following another name change in 2010, this time to the Washington GreenHawks, the team moved from the Premier Basketball League to the American Professional Basketball League (APBL), and moved from Rockville, Montgomery County, to Washington, DC. The team stopped playing in 2011.
![[Diamondback Terrapin mascot, University of Maryland]](/msa/mdmanual/01glance/symbols/images/mascotc.gif)
COLLEGIATE BASKETBALL
Fear the Turtle. Diamondback Terrapin mascot, University of Maryland, College Park.
The Maryland Terrapins won the national championship in the men's Division I basketball tournament of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) on April 1, 2002, beating Indiana University at Atlanta, Georgia.
On March 14, 2004, the Maryland Terrapins beat Duke University to win the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) men's basketball tournament. In 2004, the Terps also made their 11th straight trip to the Division I basketball tournament of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
Also in 2004, the Terps were the tournament champions for the third time, following 1958 and 1984.
In April 2006, the University of Maryland, College Park's Maryland Terrapins women's team won the national championship at the women's Division I tournament of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in Boston, Massachusetts. The Terrapins defeated Duke University 78-75 in overtime for their first NCAA basketball title.
In March 2010, the Terrapins ended the regular season tied with Duke University for first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
In 2014, the Terps left the Atlantic Coast Conference for the Big Ten Conference.
As of 2016, the Terps have played in 14 Sweet Sixteen Tournaments.
In 2020, the Terps were the Conference regular season champions for the seventh time, having won previously in 1932, 1975, 1980, 1995, 2002, and 2010.
As of the 2025-2026 season, the Terps have made 31 NCAA Tournament appearances.
The University of Maryland Baltimore County's Retrievers men's basketball team were the America East Conference Tournament champions in 2008 and 2018. The Retrievers were also the Northeast Conference regular season champions for 1999 as well as the America East Conference regular season champions in 2008 and 2021. On March 16, 2018, the Retrievers became the first no. 16 seed to defeat a no. 1 seed (University of Virginia Cavaliers) during the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, in what was called the "greatest upset in college basketball history."
The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), the nation's oldest African-American athletic conference, was founded on Feb. 2, 1912 at Hampton Institute, Virginia. Originally called the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association, it took its current name in December 1950. In March 1952, the Association held its Basketball Tournament for the first time in Baltimore. The Tournament returned to Baltimore in February 2022, and will continue through 2029. The Tournament had a total economic impact of $27.4 million in 2025, and generated $2.4 million in State and local taxes. The next Tournament will be held at CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore on February 21-27, 2027.
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