American Basketball Association

American Basketball Association (ABA)

Logo ABA
Sport	Basketball
Founded	1967
Ceased	1976
No. of teams	11
Country	United States of America
Continent	FIBA Americas (Americas)
Last champion(s)	New York Nets (2nd title)
Most titles	Indiana Pacers (3 titles)

The original American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major-league professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.

League history

The ABA was conceived at a time stretching from 1960 through the mid-1970s when numerous upstart leagues were challenging, with varying degrees of success, the established major professional sports leagues in the United States. Basketball was seen as particularly vulnerable to a challenge; its major league, the National Basketball Association, was the youngest of the Big Four major leagues, having only played 21 seasons to that point, and was still fending off contemporary challenging leagues (it had been less than five years since the American Basketball League (ABL) shut down). According to one of the owners of the Indiana Pacers, its goal was to force a merger with the more established league. Potential investors were told that they could get an ABA team for half of what it cost to get an NBA expansion team at the time. When the merger occurred, ABA officials said their investment would more than double.^[1]

The ABA distinguished itself from its older counterpart with a more wide-open, flashy style of offensive play, as well as differences in rules—a 30-second shot clock (as opposed to the NBA's 24-second clock, though the ABA did switch to the 24 second shot clock for the 1975–76 season) and use of a three-point field goal arc, pioneered in the earlier ABL. Also, the ABA used a colorful red, white and blue ball, instead of the NBA's traditional orange ball. The ABA also had several "regional" franchises, such as the Virginia Squires and Carolina Cougars, that played "home" games in several cities.

The ABA also went after four of the best referees in the NBA: Earl Strom, John Vanak, Norm Drucker and Joe Gushue, getting them to "jump" leagues by offering them far more in money and benefits. In Earl Strom's memoir Calling the Shots, Strom conveys both the heady sense of being courted by a rival league with money to burn—and also the depression that set in the next year when he began refereeing in the ABA, with less prominent players performing in inadequate arenas, in front of very small crowds. Nevertheless, the emergence of the ABA boosted the salaries of referees just as it did the salaries of players.

The freewheeling style of the ABA eventually caught on with fans, but the lack of a national television contract and protracted financial losses would spell doom for the ABA as an independent circuit. In 1976, its last year of existence, the ABA pioneered the now-popular slam dunk contest at its all-star game in Denver.

The league succeeded in forcing a merger with the NBA in the 1976 offseason. Four ABA teams were absorbed into the older league: the New York Nets, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, and San Antonio Spurs. Two other clubs, the Kentucky Colonels, and the Spirits of St. Louis, were disbanded upon the merger, with each getting a buyout: the Colonels received a one-time buyout that owner John Y. Brown, Jr. used to purchase the NBA's Buffalo Braves, while the Spirits owners negotiated a cut of the other ABA teams' television revenues in perpetuity. The seventh remaining team, the Virginia Squires, received nothing, as they had ceased operations shortly before the merger.

One of the more significant long-term contributions of the ABA to professional basketball was to tap into markets in the southeast that had been collegiate basketball hotbeds (including North Carolina, Virginia, and Kentucky). The NBA was focused on the urban areas of the Northeast, Midwest and West Coast. At the time, it showed no interest in placing a team south of Washington, D.C.

Commissioners

• George Mikan 1967–1969
• James Carson Gardner 1969 (interim)^[2]
• Jack Dolph 1969–1972
• Bob Carlson 1972–1973
• Mike Storen 1973–74
• Tedd Munchak 1974–75
• Dave DeBusschere 1975–76

NBA great George Mikan was the first commissioner of the ABA, where he introduced both the 3-point line and the league's trademark red, white and blue basketball.^[3] Mikan resigned in 1969. Dave DeBusschere, one of the stars of the New York Knicks championship teams, moved from his job as Vice President and GM of the ABA's New York Nets in 1975 to become the last commissioner of the ABA and facilitate the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.^[4]

Teams

Of the original 11 teams, only the Kentucky Colonels and Indiana Pacers remained for all nine seasons without relocating, changing team names, or folding. However, the Denver Larks/Rockets/Nuggets, a team that had been assigned to Kansas City, Missouri, moved to Denver without playing a game in Kansas City due to the lack of a suitable arena. In addition to the four surviving ABA teams, eight current NBA markets have ABA heritage: Utah, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Minnesota, New Orleans, Memphis, and Charlotte all had an ABA team before the NBA arrived. The Louisville, Kentucky-Indiana market, former home of the ABA Kentucky Colonels, is considered a top contender for the next NBA expansion or relocation, and in fact the then Vancouver Grizzlies had Louisville as one of its four "finalists" for a new home before choosing Memphis in 2001. The Colonels led the ABA in attendance five of the ABA's nine seasons, with regular sellouts of 16,600+ fans at Louisville's Freedom Hall, since replaced by the 22,000-seat KFC Yum! Center.^[5]

List of ABA championships

Year	Western Division champion	Games	Eastern Division champion	Playoffs MVP
1967–68	New Orleans Buccaneers	3–4	Pittsburgh Pipers	Connie Hawkins C, Pittsburgh
1968–69	Oakland Oaks	4–1	Indiana Pacers	Warren Jabali G, Oakland
1969–70	Los Angeles Stars	2–4	Indiana Pacers	Roger Brown F/G, Indiana
1970–71	Utah Stars	4–3	Kentucky Colonels	Zelmo Beaty C, Utah
1971–72	Indiana Pacers	4–2	New York Nets	Freddie Lewis G, Indiana
1972–73	Indiana Pacers	4–3	Kentucky Colonels	George McGinnis F/C, Indiana
1973–74	Utah Stars	1–4	New York Nets	Julius Erving F, New York
1974–75	Indiana Pacers	1–4	Kentucky Colonels	Artis Gilmore C, Kentucky

With the ABA cut down to seven teams by the middle of its final season, the league abandoned divisional play.

Year	Winner	Games	Runners-up	Playoffs MVP
1975–76	New York Nets	4–2	Denver Nuggets	Julius Erving F, New York

Prominent players

Marvin Barnes Rick Barry Zelmo Beaty Ron Boone John Brisker Hubie Brown Larry Brown Roger Brown Don Buse Mack Calvin Darel Carrier Jim Chones Billy Cunningham Louie Dampier Mel Daniels Julius "Dr. J" Erving Donnie Freeman George "Ice Man" Gervin Artis Gilmore Jerry Harkness Connie Hawkins

Spencer Haywood Dan Issel Warren Jabali Bobby Jones Jimmy Jones Larry Jones Larry Kenon Freddie Lewis Maurice Lucas Moses Malone George McGinnis Doug Moe Bob Netolicky Johnny Neumann Billy Paultz Charlie Scott James Silas David "Skywalker" Thompson George Thompson Fly Williams Willie Wise

For more information, see ABA All-Time Team.^[6]

Season leaders

*	Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

Scoring leaders

Season	Player	Team(s)	Games played	Points	PPG
1967–68	Hawkins, ConnieConnie Hawkins*	Pittsburgh Pipers	70	1875	26.8
1968–69	Barry, RickRick Barry*	Oakland Oaks	35	1190	34.0
1969–70	Haywood, SpencerSpencer Haywood*	Denver Rockets	84	2519	30.0
1970–71	Issel, DanDan Issel*	Kentucky Colonels	83	2480	29.9
1971–72	Scott, CharlieCharlie Scott	Virginia Squires	73	2524	34.6
1972–73	Erving, JuliusJulius Erving*	Virginia Squires	71	2268	31.9
1973–74	Julius Erving* (2)	New York Nets	84	2299	27.4
1974–75	McGinnis, GeorgeGeorge McGinnis	Indiana Pacers	79	2353	29.8
1975–76	Julius Erving* (3)	New York Nets	84	2462	29.3

Rebounding leaders

Season	Player	Team(s)	Game played	Offensive rebounds	Defensive rebounds	Total rebounds	RPG
1967–68	Daniels, MelMel Daniels*	Minnesota Muskies	78	502	711	1213	15.6
1968–69	Mel Daniels* (2)	Indiana Pacers	76	383	873	1256	16.5
1969–70	Spencer Haywood*	Denver Rockets	84	533	1104	1637	19.5
1970–71	Mel Daniels* (3)	Indiana Pacers	82	394	1081	1475	18.0
1971–72	Gilmore, ArtisArtis Gilmore*	Kentucky Colonels	84	421	1070	1491	17.8
1972–73	Artis Gilmore* (2)	Kentucky Colonels	84	449	1027	1476	17.6
1973–74	Artis Gilmore* (3)	Kentucky Colonels	84	478	1060	1538	18.3
1974–75	Nater, SwenSwen Nater	San Antonio Spurs	78	369	910	1279	16.4
1975–76	Artis Gilmore* (4)	Kentucky Colonels	84	402	901	1303	15.5

Assists leaders

Season	Player	Team(s)	Games played	Assists	APG
1967–68	Brown, LarryLarry Brown*	New Orleans Buccaneers	78	506	6.5
1968–69	Larry Brown* (2)	Oakland Oaks	77	544	7.1
1969–70	Larry Brown* (3)	Washington Caps	82	580	7.1
1970–71	Melchionni, BillBill Melchionni	New York Nets	81	672	8.3
1971–72	Bill Melchionni (2)	New York Nets	80	669	8.4
1972–73	Bill Melchionni (3)	New York Nets	61	453	7.4
1973–74	Smith, AlAl Smith	Denver Rockets	76	619	8.1
1974–75	Calvin, MackMack Calvin	Denver Nuggets	74	570	7.7
1975–76	Buse, DonDon Buse	Indiana Pacers	84	689	8.2

Steals leaders

Season	Player	Team(s)	Games played	Steals	SPG
1973–74	McClain, TedTed McClain	Denver Rockets	84	250	2.98
1974–75	Taylor, BrianBrian Taylor	New York Nets	79	221	2.80
1975–76	Don Buse	Indiana Pacers	84	346	4.12

Blocks leaders

Season	Player	Team(s)	Games played	Blocks	BPG
1973–74	Jones, CaldwellCaldwell Jones	San Diego Conquistadors	79	316	4.00
1974–75	Caldwell Jones (2)	San Diego Conquistadors	76	246	3.24
1975–76	Paultz, BillyBilly Paultz	San Antonio Spurs	83	253	3.05

Awards

Succession

In 1999, a new league calling itself the ABA 2000 was established. The new league uses a similar red, white and blue basketball as the old ABA, but unlike the original ABA, it does not feature players of the same caliber as the NBA, nor does it play games in major arenas nor on television as the original ABA did.

See also

• American Basketball Association (2000–present)
• List of defunct sports leagues
• Loose Balls, written by Terry Pluto
• Semi-Pro, a comedy about the ABA starring Will Ferrell, of the fictional Flint Tropics
• World Hockey Association, another league that intended to compete with its professional counterpart, the NHL

References

1. The Official NBA Basketball Encyclopedia. Villard Books. 1994. p. 180. ISBN 0-679-43293-0.
2. Sports Encyclopedia
3. "ESPN Classic: Mikan was first pro to dominate the post". Retrieved 2007-12-04.
4. "Dave DeBusschere Bio". NBA.com. Archived from the original on 11 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
5. Official ABA Guides, 1967–1976.
6. RememberTheABA.com ABA All-Time Team Page (as selected at 30 year ABA anniversary event)

External links

• Remember the ABA