American Basketball Association History

ABA Seasons

NBA Hoops Online maintains season-by-season information for all nine years of the American Basketball Association, from the league's inaugural 1967-68 campaign through its final season in 1975-76.

The Birth of the American Basketball Association

The American Basketball Association began play in 1967 as a direct rival to the established National Basketball Association. Rather than trying to compete with the NBA only in the largest basketball markets, the ABA placed many of its teams in cities that either did not have an NBA franchise or had previously supported professional basketball.

The league also entered several markets that had been important during the earlier National Basketball League era, including Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, Indianapolis and Denver. Other franchises were established in places such as Louisville, Houston, New Orleans and Dallas.

The ABA nevertheless challenged the NBA directly in several large markets. The league began with the New Jersey Americans in the New York metropolitan area, the Oakland Oaks near San Francisco and the Anaheim Amigos in Southern California.

From the beginning, the ABA attempted to present a different kind of professional basketball. It emphasized scoring, speed and entertainment while introducing a distinctive red, white and blue basketball and using the three-point field goal.

The Original ABA Teams

The inaugural 1967-68 ABA season began with 11 franchises.

A League Defined by Relocation

Few major professional leagues experienced as much franchise movement as the ABA. Teams regularly changed cities, ownership groups, arenas and even names. The instability created confusion, but it also resulted in professional basketball reaching many markets that had never previously hosted a major team.

The Anaheim Amigos became the Los Angeles Stars and then the Utah Stars. The Houston Mavericks became the Carolina Cougars and eventually the Spirits of St. Louis. The Oakland Oaks became the Washington Caps and then the Virginia Squires. The New Orleans Buccaneers relocated to Memphis, where the franchise competed as the Pros, Tams and Sounds.

The Pittsburgh Pipers moved to Minnesota after winning the first ABA championship, returned to Pittsburgh a year later and eventually became the Pittsburgh Condors.

The New Jersey Americans became the New York Nets, while the Dallas Chaparrals eventually found a successful home in San Antonio as the Spurs.

The Three-Point Shot and the ABA Style

One of the ABA's most lasting contributions was its use of the three-point field goal. Long-distance shots had appeared in earlier basketball leagues, but the ABA made the three-pointer a central part of its identity.

The rule encouraged shooters to stretch defenses farther from the basket and gave teams a greater opportunity to erase late deficits. Players such as Louie Dampier, Glen Combs and Les Selvage became some of professional basketball's earliest prominent long-distance shooters.

The NBA did not adopt the three-point field goal until the 1979-80 season, three years after the ABA ceased operations.

The Red, White and Blue Basketball

No object became more closely associated with the ABA than its red, white and blue basketball. The colorful ball immediately distinguished the league from the NBA and became an important part of the ABA's marketing identity.

Combined with the three-point line, colorful uniforms, aggressive promotions and a fast style of play, the basketball helped give the ABA an image that was distinctly different from its older rival.

Early Stars and the Battle for Players

The ABA's survival depended on attracting enough talent to convince fans that the new league was legitimate. That effort brought several major stars into the league and forced the ABA and NBA into direct competition for players.

Connie Hawkins became the first ABA Most Valuable Player and led the Pittsburgh Pipers to the league's inaugural championship. Rick Barry left the NBA's San Francisco Warriors to sign with the Oakland Oaks. Spencer Haywood became a superstar with the Denver Rockets, while Artis Gilmore, Dan Issel, George McGinnis, David Thompson, George Gervin and Moses Malone became some of the league's most important stars.

The competition gave professional players greater leverage in contract negotiations and contributed to rising salaries throughout basketball.

The Indiana Pacers Become the ABA's Greatest Dynasty

The Indiana Pacers became the most successful championship franchise in ABA history. Featuring players such as Mel Daniels, Roger Brown, Freddie Lewis, Bob Netolicky and George McGinnis, Indiana won three league championships.

The Pacers defeated the Los Angeles Stars for the 1970 championship, the New York Nets in 1972 and the Kentucky Colonels in 1973.

Indiana appeared in the playoffs during every ABA season and became one of the four franchises eventually admitted to the NBA.

The Kentucky Colonels

The Kentucky Colonels were one of the ABA's most recognizable and successful franchises. Based in Louisville throughout the league's existence, Kentucky featured stars such as Louie Dampier, Dan Issel and Artis Gilmore.

The Colonels produced a 68-16 regular-season record in 1971-72 but were upset by the New York Nets in the playoffs. Their championship finally came in 1975, when Hubie Brown's team defeated the Indiana Pacers in the ABA Finals.

Despite their success and strong basketball tradition, the Colonels were not included among the franchises admitted to the NBA in 1976.

Julius Erving Becomes the Face of the ABA

No player became more closely identified with the American Basketball Association than Julius Erving.

Erving began his professional career with the Virginia Squires in 1971 before joining the New York Nets. His combination of athleticism, creativity and spectacular above-the-rim play made him one of professional basketball's biggest attractions.

Erving led the Nets to ABA championships in 1974 and 1976 and won three consecutive ABA Most Valuable Player awards from 1974 through 1976.

The ABA Slam Dunk Contest

During its final season, the ABA introduced another event that would eventually become a major part of basketball culture: the Slam Dunk Contest.

The competition took place during halftime of the 1976 ABA All-Star Game in Denver and featured Julius Erving, David Thompson, George Gervin, Artis Gilmore and Larry Kenon.

Erving won the contest, highlighted by his famous running dunk after taking off near the free-throw line. The NBA later incorporated the Slam Dunk Contest into its own All-Star Weekend.

Financial Problems and the ABA's Final Years

Despite the quality of its basketball, the ABA struggled to achieve the financial stability of the NBA. Television revenue was limited, attendance varied greatly from market to market and many franchises operated with inadequate capital.

Some teams missed payroll, changed ownership repeatedly or relocated in an attempt to find more profitable markets. Over time, several ownership groups came to view an eventual agreement with the NBA as the most realistic path to recovering their investments.

By the mid-1970s, the financial situation had become increasingly serious.

The Collapse of the 1975-76 ABA

The ABA's final season demonstrated just how unstable the league had become.

The Baltimore Claws collapsed before playing a regular-season game. The franchise had developed from the Memphis Sounds and managed to play only three preseason exhibition games before the ABA revoked the team.

The San Diego Sails began the regular season but ceased operations after only 11 games. The Utah Stars, despite having previously won an ABA championship and developed a strong following, folded after playing 16 games.

The Virginia Squires completed the regular season but were financially exhausted and folded before the ABA-NBA agreement was completed.

Only six teams remained to finish the ABA's final campaign.

The Final ABA Championship

The final ABA Finals matched two of the league's strongest remaining organizations: the New York Nets and Denver Nuggets.

Denver finished the 1975-76 regular season with a league-best 60-24 record, while Julius Erving led New York to a 55-29 record.

The Nets defeated the Nuggets in six games to capture the final championship in ABA history. The last ABA game was played on May 13, 1976.

The 1976 ABA-NBA Agreement

Years of competition and merger discussions culminated in an agreement during the summer of 1976. Although commonly called the ABA-NBA merger, the entire ABA was not simply absorbed into the NBA.

Four ABA franchises were admitted to the NBA:

The Spirits of St. Louis Deal

One of the most famous stories associated with the ABA-NBA agreement involved the Spirits of St. Louis.

Spirits owners Ozzie and Daniel Silna did not receive an NBA franchise. Instead, their settlement included compensation tied to a share of television revenue associated with the four former ABA franchises entering the NBA.

The arrangement became one of the most famous financial agreements in sports history and generated enormous payments for the former Spirits ownership over the following decades. The arrangement was later restructured as part of a 2014 settlement involving the NBA, the former ABA franchises and the Spirits ownership group.

The 1976 ABA Dispersal Draft

Players from the Kentucky Colonels and Spirits of St. Louis became available to NBA teams through a special dispersal draft.

The Chicago Bulls acquired Artis Gilmore, while the Portland Trail Blazers acquired Maurice Lucas. Other players selected included Ron Boone, Marvin Barnes, Caldwell Jones and M.L. Carr.

View the Complete 1976 ABA Dispersal Draft

ABA Players Transform the NBA

The end of the ABA did not end its influence. Former ABA stars quickly became major figures in the NBA.

Julius Erving became the centerpiece of the Philadelphia 76ers. George Gervin became one of the NBA's greatest scorers with San Antonio. Moses Malone became a three-time NBA Most Valuable Player and led Philadelphia to the 1983 championship. Artis Gilmore became a dominant NBA center, while David Thompson emerged as one of the league's most spectacular scorers.

The immediate success of former ABA players demonstrated that the rival league had contained some of the best basketball talent in the world.

ABA Champions

View the Complete ABA Champions Page

The ABA's Legacy

The American Basketball Association lasted only nine seasons, but its impact on professional basketball has endured for decades.

The league helped popularize the three-point field goal, created an entertainment-focused style that emphasized speed and athleticism, introduced the red, white and blue basketball and staged the first major professional Slam Dunk Contest.

Its competition with the NBA gave players greater bargaining power and helped create new paths into professional basketball. ABA stars such as Julius Erving, George Gervin, Moses Malone, Artis Gilmore and David Thompson became some of the most influential players of the next NBA era.

Four former ABA franchises remain in the NBA today: the Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, Brooklyn Nets and San Antonio Spurs.

The ABA disappeared as an independent league in 1976, but many of the ideas, players, franchises and styles that defined it became permanent parts of modern professional basketball.

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