Professional basketball will return to Oklahoma City this fall, although it will be a different league.

The Continental Basketball Association said Wednesday that it will place an expansion franchise next season in Oklahoma City, where the NBA's New Orleans Hornets played most of their home games the past two seasons following Hurricane Katrina.

"We are very excited about being a part of the CBA," majority owner Baron Hopgood said in a statement released by the league. "Joining the CBA creates an opportunity to keep professional basketball in Oklahoma City with an established and credible league.

The New Orleans Hornets should be able to return by Aug. 1 to the suburban practice courts they used before Hurricane Katrina, said state officials who are responsible for providing the NBA team with a place to train.

An agreement with Jefferson Parish officials to free up the Alario Center for the team also will cost the state money, although it won't be clear how much until the NBA schedule is released, Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District commission chairman Tim Coulon said Wednesday.

While the Hornets and NBA announced months ago that the team would return to New Orleans full-time for the 2007-08 season, state and team officials never formally contacted the Alario Center until a couple weeks ago.

By then, numerous events had been booked at the busy multipurpose facility.