American Basketball Association

For the league that began in 1999, see American Basketball Association (2000–present).

American Basketball Association (ABA)

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

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

League history

The original ABA was founded in 1967, competing with the well-established National Basketball Association, until the ABA–NBA merger in 1976. According to The NBA Encyclopedia, its long-term goal was to force a merger with the more established league. ABA officials told potential owners 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.

Ultimately, 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. A third, the Virginia Squires, had folded less than a month earlier, missing out on the opportunities that a merger might have provided.

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. 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 cleverly 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 lesser players performing in inadequate arenas, in front of very small crowds. But 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.

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 Gardner 1969 (interim)
• 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. 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.

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.

List of ABA championships

Main article: List of ABA champions

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
• 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
• Freddie Lewis
• Maurice Lucas
• Moses Malone
• George McGinnis
• Doug Moe
• Bob Netolicky
• Billy Paultz
• Charlie Scott
• James Silas
• David "Skywalker" Thompson
• Willie Wise

For more information, see ABA All-Time Team.

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	Erving, JuliusJulius Erving* (2)	New York Nets	84	2299	27.4
1974–75	McGinnis, GeorgeGeorge McGinnis	Indiana Pacers	79	2353	29.8
1975–76	Erving, JuliusJulius Erving* (3)	New York Nets	84	2464	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	Daniels, MelMel Daniels (2)	Indiana Pacers	76	383	873	1256	16.5
1969–70	Haywood, SpencerSpencer Haywood	Denver Rockets	84	533	1104	1637	19.5
1970–71	Daniels, MelMel 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	Gilmore, ArtisArtis Gilmore* (2)	Kentucky Colonels	84	449	1027	1476	17.6
1973–74	Gilmore, ArtisArtis 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	Gilmore, ArtisArtis Gilmore* (4)	Kentucky Colonels	84	402	901	1301	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	Brown, LarryLarry Brown* (2)	Oakland Oaks	77	544	7.1
1969–70	Brown, LarryLarry Brown* (3)	Washington Caps	82	580	7.1
1970–71	Melchionni, BillBill Melchionni	New York Nets	81	672	8.3
1971–72	Melchionni, BillBill Melchionni (2)	New York Nets	80	669	8.4
1972–73	Melchionni, BillBill 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	Buse, DonDon 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	Jones, CaldwellCaldwell Jones (2)	San Diego Conquistadors	76	246	3.24
1975–76	Paultz, BillyBilly Paultz	San Antonio Spurs	83	253	3.05

Awards

Main article: List of American Basketball Association awards and honors

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

• 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

External links

• Remember the ABA