American Basketball Association

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

• Anaheim Amigos (1967–1968; supplanted by Los Angeles Stars)
• Baltimore Claws (1975; folded prior to start of final ABA season and ABA-NBA merger)
• Baltimore Hustlers (1975; renamed Baltimore Claws)
• Carolina Cougars (1969–1974; supplanted by Spirits of St. Louis)
• Dallas Chaparrals (1967–1970; 1971–1973; charter ABA member, moved and became San Antonio Spurs)
• Denver Larks (1967; renamed Denver Rockets)
• Denver Nuggets (1974–present; formerly Denver Rockets; joined NBA in ABA-NBA merger)
• Denver Rockets (1967–1974; became Denver Nuggets)
• The Floridians (1970–1972; folded in 1972)
• Houston Mavericks (1967–1969; supplanted by Carolina Cougars)
• Indiana Pacers (1967–present; charter member of ABA; joined NBA in ABA-NBA merger)
• Kansas City (1967)
• Kentucky Colonels (1967–1976; charter member of ABA; folded as part of ABA-NBA merger)
• Los Angeles Stars (1968–1970; supplanted by Utah Stars)
• Louisiana Buccaneers (1970; renamed New Orleans Buccaneers, but became Memphis Pros before season began)
• Memphis Pros (1970–1972; supplanted by Memphis Tams)
• Memphis Sounds (1974–1975; supplanted by Baltimore Claws)
• Memphis Tams (1972–1974; supplanted by Memphis Sounds)
• Miami Floridians (1968–1970; supplanted by The Floridians)
• Minnesota Muskies (1968–1969; supplanted by Pittsburgh Pipers)
• Minnesota Pipers (1969–1970; supplanted by Pittsburgh Condors)
• New Jersey Americans (1967–1968; supplanted by New York Nets)
• New York Nets (1968–present; joined NBA in ABA-NBA merger)
• New Orleans Buccaneers (1967–1970; supplanted by Memphis Pros)
• Oakland Americans (1967; renamed Oakland Oaks)
• Oakland Oaks (1967–1969; supplanted by Washington Caps)
• Pittsburgh Condors (1970–1972; folded in 1972)
• Pittsburgh Pioneers (1970; renamed Pittsburgh Condors)
• Pittsburgh Pipers (1967–1968; 1969–1970; supplanted by Pittsburgh Condors)
• San Antonio Gunslingers (1973; renamed San Antonio Spurs)
• San Antonio Spurs (1973–present; joined NBA in ABA-NBA merger)
• San Diego Conquistadors (1972–1975; expansion team; supplanted by San Diego Sails)
• San Diego Sails (1975; folded in ABA's final season before ABA-NBA merger)
• Spirits of St. Louis (1974–1976; folded in ABA-NBA merger)
• Texas Chaparrals (1970–1971; supplanted by Dallas Chaparrals)
• Utah Rockies (1976; folded as part of ABA-NBA merger)
• Utah Stars (1970–1975; folded in ABA's final season before ABA-NBA merger)
• Virginia Squires (1970–1976; folded at conclusion of ABA's final season but before ABA-NBA merger)
• Washington Caps (1969–1970; supplanted by Virginia Squires)

List of ABA championships

Main article: List of ABA champions

Year	Winner	Runner-Up	Games	Playoffs MVP
1967–1968	Pittsburgh Pipers	New Orleans Buccaneers	4–3	Connie Hawkins C, Pittsburgh
1968–1969	Oakland Oaks	Indiana Pacers	4–1	Warren Jabali G, Oakland
1969–1970	Indiana Pacers	Los Angeles Stars	4–2	Roger Brown F/G, Indiana
1970–1971	Utah Stars	Kentucky Colonels	4–3	Zelmo Beaty C, Utah
1971–1972	Indiana Pacers	New York Nets	4–2	Freddie Lewis G, Indiana
1972–1973	Indiana Pacers	Kentucky Colonels	4–3	George McGinnis F/C, Indiana
1973–1974	New York Nets	Utah Stars	4–1	Julius Erving F, New York
1974–1975	Kentucky Colonels	Indiana Pacers	4–1	Artis Gilmore C, Kentucky
1975–1976	New York Nets	Denver Nuggets	4–2	Julius Erving F, New York

Prominent players of the ABA

• 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.

Succession

In 1999, a new league calling itself the ABA 2000 was established. The new league used 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.