American Basketball Association

The original American Basketball Association was a men's professional basketball league, from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, leading to several teams joining the National Basketball Association and to the introduction of the 3-point shot in the NBA in 1979.

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. 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.
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 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. As part of the merger agreement, the four teams were not permitted to participate in the 1976 NBA Draft. The merger was particularly hard on the Nets; the New York Knicks were firmly established in their arena, Madison Square Garden, and would not permit the Nets to share dates there. For drawing audience away from the Knicks, the Nets were forced to pay $4.3M to the Knicks organization. The Nets offered league superstar Julius Erving instead but the Knicks declined. The Nets had to settle for an arena in Piscataway, New Jersey and, to meet expenses, were forced to sell the contract of Erving to the Philadelphia 76ers.
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. This deal netted the ownership group of the Spirits over $300M through nearly four decades due to a large increase in television revenues. In 2014, the NBA and the Spirits ownership agreed to phase out future payments in exchange for a one-time payment of $500M, making the total value for the deal over $800M. The seventh remaining team, the Virginia Squires, received nothing, as they had ceased operations shortly before the merger. The players from the Colonels, Spirits, and Squires were made available to NBA teams through a dispersal draft; the four teams absorbed by the NBA were allowed to choose players from this draft.
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. 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, other than the Atlanta metropolitan area where the NBA's Hawks franchise relocated from St. Louis in 1968.

Commissioners

George Mikan 1967–1969
James Carson Gardner 1969
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.

Spencer Haywood Hardship Rule

One of the primary contributions of the ABA to modern NBA was the introduction of the Spencer Haywood Hardship Rule, which would later become the framework for the current NBA draft eligibility system that allows players to declare for the NBA after being one year removed from their high school graduation. The origin of the Hardship Rule was a result of the NBA prohibiting players from joining the league until they had completed their four years of college eligibility. The ABA was a league that frequently made up rules on the fly and was willing to push the envelope and determine the implications of the rules later.
In 1969, Spencer Haywood left the University of Detroit as a sophomore and signed with the Denver Rockets. The ABA believed that in extenuating circumstances, such as financial situation or familial needs, players should be able to leave for professional leagues early. While the NBA and NCAA initially contested the rule, after the courts ruled in favor of Haywood playing in the ABA, the NBA followed suit and relaxed the four year rule to allow for players to enter the league if they qualified as a hardship on the basis of “financial condition…family, academic record.” Haywood paved the way for other players to enter the ABA before they had completed their collegiate careers such as George McGinnis and Julius Erving. Today, the one-and-done rule in the NBA can be traced back to the ABA's decision to allow players to leave college early and pursue a professional career before they had completed their collegiate careers.

Slam Dunk Contest

The ABA pioneered the advent of the now popular NBA slam dunk contest at the ABA All Star game in 1976. The game was held in Denver, and the owners of the ABA teams wanted to ensure that the event would be entertaining for the sellout crowd of 15,021 people. The ABA and NBA had begun to discuss a possible merger, and the ABA owners wanted to establish the viability and success of their league. The Dunk Contest operated as a means of unique halftime entertainment that displayed the style and excitement that the ABA players brought to the game. The dunk contest was held at halftime of the All-Star game and the contestants were Artis Gilmore, George Gervin, David Thompson, Larry Kenon, and Julius Erving. The winner of the contest received $1,000 and a stereo system. Julius Erving went on to win the competition by completing the now famous free throw line dunk.

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, New Orleans, Memphis, Minnesota and Charlotte all had an ABA team before the NBA arrived.

Franchise	Cities/Names	Years	Fate
Anaheim Amigos Los Angeles Stars Utah Stars	Anaheim Amigos		Folded, 1975 NBA relocated New Orleans Jazz to Utah as Utah Jazz in 1979.
Anaheim Amigos Los Angeles Stars Utah Stars	Los Angeles Stars	1968-1970	Folded, 1975 NBA relocated New Orleans Jazz to Utah as Utah Jazz in 1979.
Anaheim Amigos Los Angeles Stars Utah Stars	Utah Stars	1970-1975	Folded, 1975 NBA relocated New Orleans Jazz to Utah as Utah Jazz in 1979.
Dallas Chaparrals Texas Chaparrals San Antonio Spurs	Dallas Chaparrals	1967-1970	Joined the NBA, 1976, as San Antonio Spurs NBA added a franchise in Dallas in 1980.
Dallas Chaparrals Texas Chaparrals San Antonio Spurs	Texas Chaparrals	1970-1971	Joined the NBA, 1976, as San Antonio Spurs NBA added a franchise in Dallas in 1980.
Dallas Chaparrals Texas Chaparrals San Antonio Spurs	Dallas Chaparrals	1971-1973	Joined the NBA, 1976, as San Antonio Spurs NBA added a franchise in Dallas in 1980.
Dallas Chaparrals Texas Chaparrals San Antonio Spurs	San Antonio Spurs	1973-1976	Joined the NBA, 1976, as San Antonio Spurs NBA added a franchise in Dallas in 1980.
Houston Mavericks Carolina Cougars Spirits of St. Louis	Houston Mavericks	1967-1969	Folded, 1976 NBA relocated San Diego Rockets to Houston as Houston Rockets in 1971. NBA added a franchise in Charlotte in 1988.
Houston Mavericks Carolina Cougars Spirits of St. Louis	Carolina Cougars	1969-1974	Folded, 1976 NBA relocated San Diego Rockets to Houston as Houston Rockets in 1971. NBA added a franchise in Charlotte in 1988.
Houston Mavericks Carolina Cougars Spirits of St. Louis	Spirits of St. Louis	1974-1976	Folded, 1976 NBA relocated San Diego Rockets to Houston as Houston Rockets in 1971. NBA added a franchise in Charlotte in 1988.
Indiana Pacers	Indiana Pacers	1967-1976	Joined NBA, 1976, as Indiana Pacers
Kansas City Denver Larks /Rockets /Nuggets	Kansas City	1967	Joined the NBA, 1976, as Denver Nuggets
Kansas City Denver Larks /Rockets /Nuggets	Denver Larks	1967	Joined the NBA, 1976, as Denver Nuggets
Kansas City Denver Larks /Rockets /Nuggets	Denver Rockets	1967-1974	Joined the NBA, 1976, as Denver Nuggets
Kansas City Denver Larks /Rockets /Nuggets	Denver Nuggets	1974-1976	Joined the NBA, 1976, as Denver Nuggets
Kentucky Colonels	Kentucky Colonels	1967-1976	Folded, 1976
Minnesota Muskies Miami Floridians Floridians	Minnesota Muskies	1967-1968	Folded, 1972 NBA added a franchise in Miami in 1988. NBA added a franchise in Minnesota in 1989.
Minnesota Muskies Miami Floridians Floridians	Miami Floridians	1968-1970	Folded, 1972 NBA added a franchise in Miami in 1988. NBA added a franchise in Minnesota in 1989.
Minnesota Muskies Miami Floridians Floridians	Floridians	1970-1972	Folded, 1972 NBA added a franchise in Miami in 1988. NBA added a franchise in Minnesota in 1989.
New Orleans /Louisiana Buccaneers Memphis Pros /Tams /Sounds Baltimore Hustlers /Claws	New Orleans Buccaneers	1967-1970	Folded, 1975 NBA relocated Charlotte Hornets to New Orleans as New Orleans Hornets in 2002. NBA relocated Vancouver Grizzlies to Memphis as Memphis Grizzlies in 2000.
New Orleans /Louisiana Buccaneers Memphis Pros /Tams /Sounds Baltimore Hustlers /Claws	Louisiana Buccaneers	1970	Folded, 1975 NBA relocated Charlotte Hornets to New Orleans as New Orleans Hornets in 2002. NBA relocated Vancouver Grizzlies to Memphis as Memphis Grizzlies in 2000.
New Orleans /Louisiana Buccaneers Memphis Pros /Tams /Sounds Baltimore Hustlers /Claws	Memphis Pros	1970-1972	Folded, 1975 NBA relocated Charlotte Hornets to New Orleans as New Orleans Hornets in 2002. NBA relocated Vancouver Grizzlies to Memphis as Memphis Grizzlies in 2000.
New Orleans /Louisiana Buccaneers Memphis Pros /Tams /Sounds Baltimore Hustlers /Claws	Memphis Tams	1972-1974	Folded, 1975 NBA relocated Charlotte Hornets to New Orleans as New Orleans Hornets in 2002. NBA relocated Vancouver Grizzlies to Memphis as Memphis Grizzlies in 2000.
New Orleans /Louisiana Buccaneers Memphis Pros /Tams /Sounds Baltimore Hustlers /Claws	Memphis Sounds	1974-1975	Folded, 1975 NBA relocated Charlotte Hornets to New Orleans as New Orleans Hornets in 2002. NBA relocated Vancouver Grizzlies to Memphis as Memphis Grizzlies in 2000.
New Orleans /Louisiana Buccaneers Memphis Pros /Tams /Sounds Baltimore Hustlers /Claws	Baltimore Hustlers	1975	Folded, 1975 NBA relocated Charlotte Hornets to New Orleans as New Orleans Hornets in 2002. NBA relocated Vancouver Grizzlies to Memphis as Memphis Grizzlies in 2000.
New Orleans /Louisiana Buccaneers Memphis Pros /Tams /Sounds Baltimore Hustlers /Claws	Baltimore Claws	1975	Folded, 1975 NBA relocated Charlotte Hornets to New Orleans as New Orleans Hornets in 2002. NBA relocated Vancouver Grizzlies to Memphis as Memphis Grizzlies in 2000.
New York/New Jersey Americans New York Nets	New York Americans	1967	Joined NBA, 1976, with name changes to reflect move to New Jersey and currently Brooklyn Nets.
New York/New Jersey Americans New York Nets	New Jersey Americans	1967-1968	Joined NBA, 1976, with name changes to reflect move to New Jersey and currently Brooklyn Nets.
New York/New Jersey Americans New York Nets	New York Nets	1968-1976	Joined NBA, 1976, with name changes to reflect move to New Jersey and currently Brooklyn Nets.
Oakland Americans/Oaks Washington Capitals Virginia Squires	Oakland Americans	1967	Folded, 1976 NBA relocated San Francisco Warriors to Oakland as Golden State Warriors in 1971. NBA relocated Baltimore Bullets to Washington as Capital Bullets in 1973.
Oakland Americans/Oaks Washington Capitals Virginia Squires	Oakland Oaks	1967-1969	Folded, 1976 NBA relocated San Francisco Warriors to Oakland as Golden State Warriors in 1971. NBA relocated Baltimore Bullets to Washington as Capital Bullets in 1973.
Oakland Americans/Oaks Washington Capitals Virginia Squires	Washington Capitals	1969-1970	Folded, 1976 NBA relocated San Francisco Warriors to Oakland as Golden State Warriors in 1971. NBA relocated Baltimore Bullets to Washington as Capital Bullets in 1973.
Oakland Americans/Oaks Washington Capitals Virginia Squires	Virginia Squires	1970-1976	Folded, 1976 NBA relocated San Francisco Warriors to Oakland as Golden State Warriors in 1971. NBA relocated Baltimore Bullets to Washington as Capital Bullets in 1973.
Pittsburgh Pipers /Pioneers /Condors Minnesota Pipers	Pittsburgh Pipers	1967-1968	Folded, 1972 NBA added a franchise in Minnesota in 1989.
Pittsburgh Pipers /Pioneers /Condors Minnesota Pipers	Minnesota Pipers	1968-1969	Folded, 1972 NBA added a franchise in Minnesota in 1989.
Pittsburgh Pipers /Pioneers /Condors Minnesota Pipers	Pittsburgh Pipers	1969-1970	Folded, 1972 NBA added a franchise in Minnesota in 1989.
Pittsburgh Pipers /Pioneers /Condors Minnesota Pipers	Pittsburgh Pioneers	1970	Folded, 1972 NBA added a franchise in Minnesota in 1989.
Pittsburgh Pipers /Pioneers /Condors Minnesota Pipers	Pittsburgh Condors	1970-1972	Folded, 1972 NBA added a franchise in Minnesota in 1989.
San Diego Conquistadors /Sails	San Diego Conquistadors	1972-1975	Folded, 1975 NBA operated in San Diego from 1967 to 1971 with the San Diego Rockets and from 1978 to 1984 with the San Diego Clippers.
San Diego Conquistadors /Sails	San Diego Sails	1975	Folded, 1975 NBA operated in San Diego from 1967 to 1971 with the San Diego Rockets and from 1978 to 1984 with the San Diego Clippers.

Timeline

DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:25
PlotArea = left:20 right:20 bottom:20 top:20
Period = from:01/01/1965 till:17/06/1977
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
Colors =
id:majorGridColor value:rgb
id:lineColor value:gray
id:notpro value:gray
id:brown value:rgb
id:green value:rgb
id:darkgreen value:rgb
id:kellygreen value:rgb
id:orange value:rgb
id:redorange value:rgb
id:burgundy value:rgb
id:maroon value:rgb
id:red value:rgb
id:red2 value:rgb
id:iceblue value:rgb
id:lgray value:gray
id:grayblue value:rgb
id:gray value:gray
id:gray2 value:gray
id:sand value:rgb
id:navy value:rgb
id:teal value:rgb
id:teal2 value:rgb
id:purpl value:rgb
id:columbia_blue value:rgb
id:black value:rgb
id:black2 value:rgb
id:darkblue value:rgb
id:darkblue2 value:rgb
id:darkblue3 value:rgb
id:eagles_green value:rgb
id:gold value:rgb
id:lightblue value:rgb
id:lions_black value:rgb
id:lions_lightblue value:rgb
id:lions_white value:rgb
id:orange value:rgb
id:panthers_teal value:rgb
id:rams_gold value:rgb
id:ravens_gold value:rgb
id:red value:rgb
id:red2 value:rgb
id:darkred value:rgb
id:lightred value:rgb
id:silver value:rgb
id:vikings_purple value:rgb
id:royalblue value:rgb
ScaleMajor = start:1967 increment:1 gridcolor:majorGridColor

-- Text Positions

Define $Up = shift:
Define $Left = anchor:from align:right shift:
Define $LeftIn = anchor:from align:left shift:
Define $LeftMargin = anchor:from align:left shift:
Define $UpLeft = anchor:from align:right shift:
Define $UpLeftIn = anchor:from align:left shift:
Define $UpLeftMargin = anchor:from align:left shift:
Define $Right = anchor:till align:left shift:
Define $RightMargin = anchor:till align:right shift:
Define $RightIn = anchor:till align:right shift:
Define $UpRight = anchor:till align:left shift:
Define $UpRightMargin = anchor:till align:right shift:
Define $UpRightIn = anchor:till align:right shift:
Define $UpUpRight = anchor:till align:left shift:
Define $Down = shift:
Define $Downx2 = shift:
Define $DownRight = anchor:till align:left shift:
Define $DownLeft = anchor:from align:right shift:
Define $DownRightMargin = anchor:till align:right shift:
Define $I = text:""
Define $White = textcolor:white
Define $t = textcolor
Define $champ = text:"•" $t:white fontsize:L shift:
TextData =
pos:
textcolor:black
tabs:
text:"•^championship season"
BarData =
bar:Stars
bar:Spurs
bar:Cougars
bar:Pacers
bar:Nuggets
bar:Colonels
bar:Floridians
bar:Sounds
bar:Nets
bar:Squires
bar:Pipers
bar:Conquistadors
PlotData =
color:notpro
textcolor:black
width:20
fontsize:S
mark:
anchor:middle # other options are anchor:from anchor:till
align:center # other options are align:left align:right
shift:

-- current teams A - M

bar:Colonels from:06/03/1967 till:17/06/1976 text:"Kentucky Colonels" $RightIn color:royalblue $t:white
bar:Conquistadors from:13/10/1972 till:01/06/1975 text:"San Diego Conquistadors" color:yellow textcolor:red
bar:Conquistadors from:01/06/1975 till:12/11/1975 text:"San Diego~Sails" $UpRight color:blue textcolor:green
bar:Cougars from:02/02/1967 till:18/10/1969 text:"Houston Mavericks" color:gold $t:black
bar:Cougars from:18/10/1969 till:18/10/1974 text:"Carolina Cougars" color:green $t:darkblue
bar:Cougars from:18/10/1974 till:17/06/1976 text:"Spirits of St. Louis" $RightIn color:orange $t:black
bar:Floridians from:02/02/1967 till:26/10/1968 text:"Minnesota Muskies" color:blue $t:gold
bar:Floridians from:26/10/1968 till:15/10/1970 text:"Miami Floridians" color:orange $t:blue
bar:Floridians from:15/10/1970 till:06/04/1972 text:"The Floridians" color:purple $t:redorange $RightIn

-- N - Z

bar:Nets from:02/02/1967 till:25/10/1968 text:"New Jersey~Americans" $Up color:blue textcolor:white
bar:Nets from:25/10/1968 till:17/06/1976 text:"New York Nets" $RightIn color:red textcolor:white
bar:Nuggets from:02/02/1967 till:18/10/1974 text:"Denver Rockets" color:red $t:black
bar:Nuggets from:18/10/1974 till:17/06/1976 text:"Denver Nuggets" $RightIn color:royalblue $t:white
bar:Pacers from:02/02/1967 till:17/06/1976 text:"Indiana Pacers" color:navy textcolor:yellow $RightIn
bar:Pipers from:02/02/1967 till:27/10/1968 text:"Pittsburgh Pipers" color:panthers_teal textcolor:black
bar:Pipers from:27/10/1968 till:19/10/1969 text:"Minnesota~Pipers" $Up color:orange textcolor:blue
bar:Pipers from:19/10/1969 till:15/10/1970 text:"Pittsburgh~Pipers" $Up color:panthers_teal textcolor:black
bar:Pipers from:15/10/1970 till:29/03/1972 text:"Pittsburgh Condors" color:red textcolor:gold
bar:Squires from:02/02/1967 till:18/10/1969 text:"Oakland Oaks" color:gold textcolor:green
bar:Squires from:18/10/1969 till:17/10/1970 text:"Washington~Caps" $Up color:green textcolor:gold
bar:Squires from:17/10/1970 till:11/05/1976 text:"Virginia Squires" $RightIn color:red textcolor:white
bar:Sounds from:02/02/1967 till:20/10/1970 text:"New Orleans Buccaneers" color:red textcolor:blue
bar:Sounds from:20/10/1970 till:12/10/1972 text:"Memphis Pros" color:navy textcolor:white
bar:Sounds from:12/10/1972 till:18/10/1974 text:"Memphis Tams" color:green textcolor:gold
bar:Sounds from:18/10/1974 till:24/08/1975 text:"Memphis~Sounds" $Up color:red textcolor:white
bar:Sounds from:24/08/1975 till:20/10/1975 text:"Baltimore~Claws" $UpRight color:red2 textcolor:gold
bar:Spurs from:02/02/1967 till:18/10/1970 text:"Dallas Chaparrals" color:blue textcolor:white
bar:Spurs from:18/10/1970 till:15/10/1971 text:"Texas~Chaparrals" $Up color:red textcolor:white
bar:Spurs from:15/10/1971 till:10/10/1973 text:"Dallas Chaparrals" color:blue textcolor:white
bar:Spurs from:10/10/1973 till:17/06/1976 text:"San Antonio Spurs" $RightIn color:silver textcolor:black
bar:Stars from:02/02/1967 till:30/10/1968 text:"Anaheim Amigos" color:redorange textcolor:black
bar:Stars from:30/10/1968 till:14/10/1970 text:"Los Angeles Stars" color:iceblue textcolor:red
bar:Stars from:14/10/1970 till:29/11/1975 text:"Utah Stars" color:blue textcolor:white $RightIn

# -- championships

at:04/05/1968 bar:Pipers $champ mark:
at:07/05/1969 bar:Squires $champ mark:
at:25/05/1970 bar:Pacers $champ mark:
at:18/05/1971 bar:Stars $champ mark:
at:20/05/1972 bar:Pacers $champ mark:
at:12/05/1973 bar:Pacers $champ mark:
at:10/05/1974 bar:Nets $champ mark:
at:22/05/1975 bar:Colonels $champ mark:
at:13/05/1976 bar:Nets $champ mark:

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 "The Iceman" 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.

Season leaders

Scoring leaders

Rebounding leaders

Assists leaders

Steals leaders

Blocks leaders

Awards and broadcasters

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 similar caliber to the NBA, nor does it play games in major arenas or on television as the original ABA did.

Popular movies

The Hunger Games (film) - 2012 American dystopian action thriller science fiction-adventure film directed by Gary Ross and based on Suzanne Collins’s 2008 novel of the same name. It is the first insta...
untitled Captain Marvel sequel - part of Marvel Cinematic Universe....
Killers of the Flower Moon (film project) - Killers of the Flower Moon - film project in United States of America. It was presented as drama, detective fiction, thriller. The film project starred Leonardo Dicaprio, Robert De Niro. Director of...
Five Nights at Freddy's (film) - Five Nights at Freddy's - film published in 2017 in United States of America. Scenarist of the film - Scott Cawthon....

Popular books

Book of Revelation - The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament, and consequently is also the final book of the Christian Bible. Its title is derived from the first word of the Koine Greek text: apok...
Book of Genesis - account of the creation of the world, the early history of humanity, Israel's ancestors and the origins...
Gospel of Matthew - The Gospel According to Matthew is the first book of the New Testament and one of the three synoptic gospels. It tells how Israel's Messiah, rejected and executed in Israel, pronounces judgement on ...
Michelin Guide - Michelin Guides are a series of guide books published by the French tyre company Michelin for more than a century. The term normally refers to the annually published Michelin Red Guide , the oldest...
Psalms - The Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms , the Psalter or "the Psalms", is the first book of the Ketuvim , the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and thus a book of th...
Ecclesiastes - Ecclesiastes is one of 24 books of the Tanakh , where it is classified as one of the Ketuvim . Originally written c. 450–200 BCE, it is also among the canonical Wisdom literature of the Old Tes...
The 48 Laws of Power - non-fiction book by American author Robert Greene. The book...

Popular television series

The Crown (TV series) - historical drama web television series about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, created and principally written by Peter Morgan, and produced by Left Bank Pictures and Sony Pictures Tel...
Friends - American sitcom television series, created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast sta...
Young Sheldon - spin-off prequel to The Big Bang Theory and begins with the character Sheldon...
Modern Family - American television mockumentary family sitcom created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan for the American Broadcasting Company. It ran for eleven seasons, from September 23...
Loki (TV series) - upcoming American web television miniseries created for Disney+ by Michael Waldron, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, shar...
Game of Thrones - American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It...
Shameless (American TV series) - American comedy-drama television series developed by John Wells which debuted on Showtime on January 9, 2011. It...