SlamBall Is Back, Sport Returning Next Summer After Decade-Plus Away!

"SlamBall is back, baby!"

That's Mason Gordon, founder of SlamBall -- basketball mixed with football and MMA on big trampolines -- announcing to TMZ Sports ... the sport is returning in 2023!

"There have been all kinds of people clamoring for SlamBall to come back. There has been #BringBackSlamBall media, viewed over 200 million times in the last 12 months. So, I'm ready to announce next summer, 2023, SlamBall is coming back, live!"

If you haven't seen a SlamBall game, it's pretty damn awesome. Huge air, big hits ... it's great. And, that's why so many people waited for this day, including Celtics star Jayson Tatum, a SlamBall fan.

Gordon says he's had endless opportunities over the years to bring the game back, but he didn't want to do it until all the conditions were perfect for making a return.

"We've gotten opportunities pretty much every couple of months, there will be an opportunity to bring SlamBall back in some form. My partners and I have always looked at it and said, 'we're not gonna come back until the market conditions are like really optimal,' and the alternate sports marketplace is on fire."

Gordon and his partners felt it was the perfect time to strike ... especially since kids are decreasingly watching entire 3-hour sporting events.

"SlamBall just kind of fits the bill. They're 20-minute games. Television half hours. People obviously have really gravitated to the action, and it's this incredible mash-up between basketball, football, hockey, little bit of gymnastics, little bit of video games, that's just SlamBall."

SlamBall was built for social media -- and when it comes to the TV side of things, Gordon has a secret weapon -- producer/director Mike Tollin is a partner on the project ... the man behind "The Last Dance" and "The Captain," amongst many others.