Central Basketball Association

Last summer, the Central Basketball Association announced, through its affiliates and partners in South America, the formation of CBA Brazil: a professional league established in Brazil, where the only American imports that are permitted to play in the league are players that have played in the CBA. 

Later in the Fall, the CBA Global Team sent eight CBA players to Rio de Janeiro to participate in three exhibition games against local Brazilian teams, resulting in consecutive lopsided victories for the Americans. From these games, two CBA players were selected to serve as the first pair of American athletes to play in the inaugural season of CBA Brazil: Bowling Green Hornets guard, Kalen Kimberland, and Springfield Sentinels forward, Joshua Minner. 

The 6-foot, former Lindsey Wilson College product, Kimberland, averaged 22.7 points per game, 4.3 assists per game, and 3.7 steals per game during the Brazilian tour. During the 2015 CBA Season, Kimberland averaged 21.4 points per game, 3.2 assists per game, and 2.8 steals per game, leading the Bowling Green Hornets to their first CBA Championship title. But his greatest performance came in the postseason tournament, where he was considered the Most Valuable Player for the Hornets in the playoffs, leading the way with 26.7 points per game, 8.3 rebounds per game, 4.7 assists per game, and 3.3 steals per game. 

While Kimberland played for the league's top team last year, the 6-foot-6 Minner, who attended Mid-America Christian University, played for the Springfield Sentinels, who only won one game in 2015. However, his performance during the season made him one of the top young athletes in the league, as he averaged 17.6 points per game, 5.6 rebounds per game, and 2.2 steals per game for Springfield. He continued his dominance in Brazil, as he averaged 18.3 points per game, 8.7 rebounds per game, 3.0 steals per game, and 2.0 blocks per game during the October tour. 

For both athletes, this opportunity serves as their first contract overseas, as they will pair up together for Blue Diamond in the Santa Catarina division of CBA Brazil. The league pre-season games are set to begin next weekend, with Kimberland and Minner making their home debut on Saturday. 

With these two league ambassadors aiming to properly lay the foundation of American success in CBA Brazil, the goal for the CBA is to allow for additional league players to participate in CBA Brazil this year, as well as subsequent seasons. The league season is expected to be completed by September, followed by regional Brazilian tournaments during the fall and winter months. 

Not only has the league a) gained popularity domestically, with the number of member teams rising each year, as well as, b) expanded its reach internationally, where nearly 125 league players have received opportunities to play overseas; the CBA has also performed a very novel and pioneering concept in minor league basketball: laying the foundation for its own professional league in a foreign country, in addition to its own league in the United States. As the CBA is set to begin its fourth season at home, the Brazilians are looking forward to their first season of CBA Brazil in 2016. 

For more information on CBA Brazil, visit http://www.playcba.com/cbabrazil