American Basketball Association (ABA)

History: 1968-1976 (9 seasons)

American Basketball Association (ABA)

History 1968-1976 (9 seasons)

Leagues / Basketball / ABA

Founded in 1967, the ABA distinguished itself from its older NBA 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 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.

Other concurrent basketball leagues: NBA

ABA Champions

Year Team Coach

1976 New York Nets K. Loughery

1975 Kentucky Colonels H. Brown

1974 New York Nets K. Loughery

1973 Indiana Pacers S. Leonard

1972 Indiana Pacers S. Leonard

1971 Utah Stars B. Sharman

1970 Indiana Pacers S. Leonard

1969 Oakland Oaks A. Hannum

1968 Pittsburgh Pipers V. Cazzetta

View All ABA Seasons

#1 Draft Pick

Year Player Team

1975 David Thompson Squires

1974 Tom McMillen Squires

1973 Dwight Lamar Conquistadors

1972 John Gianelli Condors

1971 Jim McDaniels Stars

1970 Bob Lanier Nets

View All ABA Draft Picks

League Executives

Tenure Name Title

1976 Dave DeBusschere Commissioner

1975 Tedd Munchak Commissioner

1974 Mike Storen Commissioner

1973 Bob Carlson Commissioner

1970-72 Jack Dolph Commissioner

1969 James Carson Gardner Commissioner

1968 Dennis Murphy League Founder

1968-69 George Mikan Commissioner

1 Comment

Davan S. Mani says:

April 17, 2020 at 11:36 pm

what a year. the competitiveness of the ABL really brought the NBA out of its duldrums.

Reply

ABA Champions

#1 Draft Pick

League Executives

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