Philadelphia, PA – The Pro Basketball Association announced on Tuesday that the Philadelphia Pioneers had been awarded a franchise for the 2021 PBA Spring-Summer Season. Team owners Luke and Diane Underwood are bringing the PBA to Philly. Luke was a former Collegiate basketball point guard and has been working with and training players in the Philadelphia area for many years. He actually competed in the PBA Draft Combine in Rochester last month as a way to gauge the level of play of those players aspiring to make the PBA home this Summer. He came away impressed but also feels at 39 that he can still get in there and contribute to the team as a steadying vet presence that doesn’t need to get a certain number of shots or points to help the team win.

“Luke is a stand up guy. He cares about the players he works out and can still work out himself. He’s a role player at this stage of his career but a good one. He can handle the ball and distribute and knock down the open shot. His leadership on and off the court will be huge for the Pioneers. He’ll have a coach run the games and substitution patterns but he’s a hands-on guy that could only get this type of experience from the PBA. It’s the top Spring-Summer Pro League in the United States so for him to be able to compete at that level as an owner is a rare achievement.” Chris Terrell – PBA Commissioner

The Pro Basketball Association is the top Spring-Summer Pro league in the United States. Currently over 50 teams Nationwide from Seattle to New York City and everywhere in between, the PBA has divisions in the Northwest, Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, South, and Southwest and plays from May through August with playoffs in September. Salaries in the PBA are in upwards of $1500 per month for experienced overseas players and currently has many teams filling their rosters with top level guys coming home from abroad that want to keep working this summer towards NBA Summer League opportunities and lining them back up to head back overseas in the Fall.

The PBA currently has 7 people in their front office and/or in a leadership position on teams in the Association with NBA Experience, and the National Director of Scouting for the PBA is current Houston Rockets Coach Antoine Broxsie. Also headed by Commissioner Chris Terrell and Deputy Commissioner Ricky Benitez the PBA has 37 years between them of coaching in first division clubs all over the World including the CBA in China, FIBA Europe, Venezuela, Mexico, Canada, and all over the World including Domestic leagues like the CBA, USBL, ABA, WBA, MBL, and TBL among others. The PBA also has 17 International Scouting Directors strategically placed Globally who’s sole purpose is to scout PBA players for opportunities in their countries and those include China, Japan, Australia, France, Hungary, Germany, Argentina, Mexico, the Dominican, Venezuela, and Canada among others. The league has established itself as the premiere platform for agents to get their players in a reputable league that has full 20 category box scores and quality pro looking video for every game. If you want PRO – You want the PBA.