SlamBall making a return more than 20 years after its inception

SlamBall recently completed an $11 million Series A funding round led by Roger Ehrenberg's IA Sports Ventures and Eberg Capital, per Front Office Sports' Doug Greenberg. 

Other notable investors include Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment co-founder David Blitzer, 76ers and Devils co-owner David Adelman, Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin, entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk and Celtics forward Blake Griffin.

Eight teams of four players will participate in the new six-week regular season and one week of playoffs in Las Vegas. Each night, there will be three sets of five-minute quarter games.

The game starts with a "bounce-off," like a jump ball, and players can "check" each other when the ball reaches its apex. Ties are settled by "face-offs," comparable to shootouts in hockey. Fouls are also settled with a face-off. SlamBall's biggest attraction is the dunks, worth three points each.

"It's an incredible feeling to be back, and especially by popular demand," Gordon said. "I want to thank SlamBall's persistent and passionate fans for making this comeback possible and our investors for helping make the dream real. This is a true Cinderella story — only with helmets, pads, and trampolines."

According to CNBC, Gordon and his partner Mike Tollin plan to air their games on a traditional television network, a streaming service, and a social media platform. The two are in discussions about finding the sport's next broadcast partner.

Tollin's Mandalay Sports Media, the company behind ESPN's "The Last Dance," will also produce a docuseries around SlamBall.

With revived alternative sports gaining traction, such as the XFL and USFL, SlamBall has the potential to become more popular than ever. Additionally, the action-packed 20-minute games will keep viewers engaged and grow the audience.

It's a long shot, but if Ice Cube's Big3 basketball league attracted former NBA players, maybe retired stars would be interested in the more intense SlamBall league.