The Rome Gladiators, based in

Rome, Georgia Rome is the largest city in and the county seat of Floyd County, Georgia, United States. Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, it is the principal city of the Rome, Georgia metropolitan area, Rome, Georgia, metropolitan statist ...

, were a franchise in the now-defunct

World Basketball Association The World Basketball Association (WBA) was a semi-professional men's spring basketball league in the United States. The league suspended operations after the 2013 season. History The WBA was conceived in 2009, with seven teams scheduled to play. ...

. They played at the Winthrop-King Centre at Shorter College.

2004

The Gladiators floundered in their first season, finishing a dismal 6–14. The team went through three different owners, and was at one point owned by the league itself. In May 2004, the Gladiators were bought by current owner, NBA player

Theo Ratliff Theophalus Curtis Ratliff (born April 17, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player who played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Born in Alabama, Ratliff played for and graduated from the University of Wyo ...

. Ratliff retained coach Harold Ellis, and kept the team in Rome.

2005

Once again coached by Harold Ellis, the Gladiators won their first nine games before being stopped by the WBA's other powerhouse, the Mississippi HardHats, in a 120–115 loss. The Gladiators then went on another nine-game winning streak, before being brought down by both the Magic City Court Kings and the Gulf Coast Bandits. The team finished 21–3 in the regular season, and defeated the HardHats in the championship game. The Glads were led in scoring by Darryl "MaJic" Dorsey, who won the WBA's player of the year award as well, scoring 23 points per game, was first team all-WBA along with Edmund Saunders. Harvey Thomas made second team all-WBA, and

Jamario Moon Jamario Raman Moon (born June 13, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for one season at Meridian Community College and began his professional career with teams in the United States Basketbal ...

made fourth team all WBA, and was named to the all-defensive team. Ellis received coach of the year. The team was so successful that the city of Rome threw a parade to honor the champs.

2006

The Rome Gladiators and the Cartersville Warriors entered the playoffs as 1st and 2nd in the league respectively. Rome ultimately showed itself to be the deeper squad, outscoring Cartersville 15–4 in the second quarter. The Gladiators claimed their second straight WBA title with a score of 125–114 in double-overtime over Warriors.

External links

* {{Georgia Sports World Basketball Association teams Basketball teams in Georgia (U.S. state) Basketball teams established in 2004 2004 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Rome, Georgia