Competition For the NBA D-League?

After years in the Continental Basketball Association, the Sioux Falls Skyforce has now found a home in the NBA Development League.  But it turns out the D-League might not be the only minor league game around in 2013.

Hip-hop mogul Steve Rifkind is the driving force behind the new American Basketball League, partnering with ABL founder and longtime international basketball go-between Steve Haney. Here's Rifkind's background, taken from the league's website:

Steve Rifkind is the founder of Loud Records, the label that helped kickstart the careers of the Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, Big Punisher, Three Six Mafia and a lot of other talented rappers.

The ABL is the Amercian Basketball league that will start it's season in January 2013 and the D-League is the "NBA Minor League" that up to now was the only league Americans could play in and stay in the United States while having a decent shot at making the NBA.

According the league, they will play a 24 game schedule starting in January 2013, with a 12 team field.

Initial ABL markets include; Miami, San Antonio, San Marcos, Sugarland, College Station, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Fort Walton Beach, Sebring,  and Corpus Christi.  Future expansion is scheduled for California and New York.

One thing that will set the ABL apart from the D-League - the rules. The ABL will follow international -not NBA - rules, which could help the league's players find work overseas.