2026 USBC Champion League is set to make history.

USBN Announces 12-Team Field for Inaugural 2026 United States Basketball Championship (USBC) Champion League

First-ever promotion-and-relegation professional basketball system in America tips off May 2026 – powered by United States Basketball Network and headlined by WaCover and Benefits With Basketball

ATLANTA, Ga. – November 10, 2025 – United States Basketball Network (USBN) today officially announced the full lineup of 12 professional teams that will compete in the inaugural 2026 United States Basketball Championship (USBC) Champion League, tipping off in May 2026.

The Champion League will crown the 2026 United States Basketball Champion – the best professional basketball team in America outside the NBA – and launch the first-ever professional promotion-and-relegation basketball system in the United States, powered by USBN.

The 12 founding Champion League teams are:

Action No Mercy (ANM) Elite

Anniston Model City Basketball Club (BC)

Atlanta Defenders

Atlanta Legends

ATL TakeOver

Central Alabama Jaguars

Duluth Express

Georgia Kangaroos

Georgia Prime

South Atlanta Crows

Team Sacrifice

Strong Steppers

Each team will play a 22-game regular season (11 home, 11 away). At the end of the season, the team at the top of the standings will be crowned the 2026 United States Basketball Champion.

“This is a turning point for professional basketball in America,” said Spokesperson for United States Basketball Network. “The USBC Champion League gives players, teams, and communities a true championship to chase outside the NBA – and because we use promotion and relegation plus shared resources, our teams have a real path to grow, win, and become powerhouses in their cities.”

Launching America’s First Promotion-and-Relegation Pro Basketball System

The 2026 USBC Champion League is the top level of a multi-tier structure that USBN is building out across the country. The vision is simple and powerful:

Promotion and relegation: Teams that perform well earn the right to move up; teams that struggle risk moving down. Every game matters.

National championship outside the NBA: The Champion League winner is recognized as the number one professional basketball team in America outside the NBA.

Merit-based growth: Success on the court translates into more visibility, more resources, and a bigger platform for players and communities.

By bringing a promotion-and-relegation system—common around the world in soccer and other sports—into American professional basketball, USBN is creating a league where every season, every game, and every possession has stakes.

What separates the USBC Champion League from every other non-NBA professional league in America is the purpose and structure of USBN itself.

USBN is not just a league office. It is a basketball media, marketing, and business engine built specifically to:

Promote teams and players across digital platforms, live broadcasts, social media, and original content

Bring better resources to clubs – including sponsorships, media exposure, ticketing support, and business operations guidance

Generate money beyond local ticket sales that can be shared back with teams

Because USBN can create revenue outside of game-day income—through media rights, sponsorships, partnerships, and network-wide activations—those dollars can then be directed back to the teams to:

Improve rosters and player compensation

Enhance game-day experience for fans

Invest in local marketing and community outreach

Build long-term, sustainable franchises in their cities

“Most leagues ask teams to send money up,”. “We built USBN so that money can also flow back down. When the network wins, the teams win, the players win, and the community wins.”

USBN also announced that WaCover has signed on as the top sponsor of both USBN and the 2026 USBC Champion League.

WaCover—a performance-focused hydration and recovery drink—will be sold and promoted all season long at Champion League games and by teams throughout the league. As the league’s top sponsor, WaCover will be visible on broadcasts, digital content, in-venue signage, and grassroots activations with players and fans.

“WaCover is a product that was created by basketball players and made for the purpose of supporting those who continue to chase their dream and play for the love of the game,” said an official spokesperson for WaCover.

Fans can expect to see WaCover integrated into game day, player features, recovery stories, and community events, aligning the brand with peak performance, hard work, and the grind of a 22-game professional season.

To ensure the league’s impact goes beyond the court, USBN has named Benefits With Basketball as the official nonprofit partner of the USBC Champion League.

Benefits With Basketball focuses on:

Providing positive mentorship through trusted adult leaders

Building healthy physical habits for youth through basketball

Developing social and emotional skills like leadership, communication, and teamwork

Throughout the 2026 season, teams and players will join Benefits With Basketball for clinics, community nights, and youth-focused events that use the power of basketball to improve lives and strengthen local communities.

“From day one, we wanted the USBC to be about more than wins and losses,”. “Our partnership with Benefits With Basketball ensures that every season gives back—supporting kids, families, and neighborhoods in the communities our teams call home.”

With 12 teams confirmed, the schedule framework in place, WaCover on board as the top sponsor, and Benefits With Basketball as the nonprofit partner, USBN is positioning the 2026 USBC Champion League to become:

The most competitive professional basketball league outside the NBA

The most forward-thinking, with promotion and relegation driving intensity and ambition

The most team-focused, leveraging USBN’s media and business engine to elevate clubs, players, and communities

Basketball fans, sponsors, and community partners now have a new platform to rally behind.

Media & Partnership Inquiries:

United States Basketball Network (USBN)

Email: info@usbn.pro

Website: www.usbn.pro

#USBN #2026USBC #USBNtv #ActionNoMercy #AnnistonModelCityBC #AtlantaDefenders #AtlantaLegends #ATLtakeover #CentralAlabamaJags #DuluthExpress #GeorgiaKangaroos #GeorgiaPrime #SouthAtlantaCrows #TeamSacrifice #StrongSteppers

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