Atlanta Aliens to begin 2025-2026 season next month
By HORACE SHIVERS III, Sports Editor/Photographer | Griffin Daily News
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Aliens ABA pro basketball team general manager and head coach, Alan “Duck” Richards has announced the release of the 2025-2026 Aliens’s schedule, a slate that includes 10 home games and 10 away games on the road against opponents in the Southeast Region. One home game will be played at State Farm Arena in a double header with the Atlanta Hawks.
In the past eight seasons, Richards and the Aliens embarked on a tough schedule against seven opponents ranked in the ABA Top-25. To prepare, the Aliens play highly competitive collegiate teams in exhibition games. As a result, the Aliens have won the ABA South Red Division Championships for the past three consecutive years.
When it comes to scheduling games, Richards stated that the team’s motto is simple: “Respect All, Fear None!” During last season’s ABA Southeast Regional Playoffs, the Aliens defeated five of the top ranked ABA teams to advance to the Southeast Regional Championship game.
Entering his eighteenth year at the helm of the Aliens program, Richards welcomed back five championship winners, including ABA All-Star veterans Christopher Cromartie, Alex Bonner, Rashad Faust, Manny Akins and Gee Brown. The lineup also features seven newcomers, including 7-footer Acton Shirley who played Division I basketball at Gardner-Webb University and the former Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
Former Georgia Tech players Tadric Jackson and Evan Jester will also be returning to the Aliens this season after playing overseas. Jairus Holder, former player for Jacksonville University, will also return to the team..
The Atlanta Aliens will open the season with three games on the road. The first will be played against the Georgia Prime on Oct. 18, the second against the Stone Mountain Steppers on Oct. 25 and the third against the Southwest Warriors on Nov. 1.
The Aliens will return home for a three-game stand on Nov. 8 against rival team the Chattanooga Strikes. They will then face the Atlanta Defenders on Nov. 15 and the River Region Generals on Nov. 22.
The Aliens will close the year with a four-game holiday homestand: Dec. 6 vs. Southwest Warriors, Dec. 7 vs. Mississippi Silverbacks, Dec. 13 vs. Tampa Bay Fury and Dec. 20 vs. Gulf Coast Gladiators in the Willie Ison ABA Holiday Classic.
The team will kick off 2026 with a game against the River Region Generals on Jan. 3 in Montgomery, Ala., followed by a matchup against the Mississippi Silverbacks on Jan. 4 in Jackson, Miss. The Aliens with host the Atlanta Defenders on Jan. 10, play the Columbus Skyhawks on Jan. 17 and visit the Gulf Coast Gladiators in Mobile, Ala. on Jan. 24 before returning home Jan. 31 for another game against the Columbus Skyhawks.
February begins with three straight road games. The team will battle the Tampa Bay Fury on Feb. 7, the South Atlanta Crows on Feb. 8, and the Chattanooga Strikes on Feb. 14. The regular season will conclude with three home games: The Stone Mountain Steppers on Feb. 21, the South Atlanta Crows on Feb. 28 and the Georgia Prime.
For the first time in ABA history, the finals and championship game will be held in Atlanta from April 10-12, 2026.
“I’m thrilled to hear the exciting news of the ABA Finals being held right here in our backyard. Here’s our chance to make history,” Richards stated. “We can be the first professional basketball team amongst Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Dreams, College Park Skyhawks to win a title for the City of Atlanta. We definitely have the talent to do it.”
https://www.griffindailynews.com/sports/atlanta-aliens-to-begin-2025-2026-season-next-month/article_3780ccb5-508b-5114-b843-e1fd399fb689.html
