The Utah Stars were an American Basketball Association (ABA) team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Under head coach Bill Sharman the Stars were the first major professional basketball team to use a pre-game shootaround.
The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association (ABA) for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky Colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of any franchise in the league's history, but the team did not join the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the 1976 ABA–NBA merger. The downtown Louisville Convention Center was the Colonels' venue for their first three seasons before moving to Freedom Hall for the remaining seasons, beginning with the 1970–71 schedule.
William Walton Sharman was an American professional basketball player and coach. He is mostly known for his time with the Boston Celtics in the 1950s, partnering with Bob Cousy in what was then considered the greatest backcourt duo of all time. As a coach, Sharman won titles in the ABL, ABA, and NBA, and is credited with introducing the now-ubiquitous morning shootaround.
Zelmo "Big Z" Beaty was an American basketball player. He played eight seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and four in the rival American Basketball Association (ABA). A three-time ABA All-Star and two-time NBA All-Star, Beaty was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 2016.
Mack Calvin is an American former basketball player. A five-time ABA All-Star, Calvin recorded the second most assists in ABA history, and was later named to the ABA All-Time Team.
Robert Netolicky is a retired American basketball player. A 6'9" power forward/center, he played professionally in the now–defunct American Basketball Association (ABA) from 1967 to 1976. Netolicky was a four–time ABA All–Star and two–time ABA Champion.
The ABA All-Time Team were chosen in 1997 on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the founding of the American Basketball Association (ABA). It comprised the 30 best and most influential players of the ABA during its ten years and nine full regular seasons of operation, with respect not only to performance at the professional level but in consideration of sportsmanship, team leadership, and contributions to the growth of the league basketball, and irrespective of positions played. Only players to have played at least a portion of their careers in the ABA were eligible for selection, although performance in other leagues, most notably the National Basketball Association was ostensibly considered. Selected and announced beside the all-time team were a most valuable player and top head coach.
Bill "The Hill" McGill was an American basketball player best known for inventing the jump hook. McGill was the No. 1 overall pick of the 1962 NBA draft out of the University of Utah, with whom he led the NCAA in scoring with 38.8 points per game in the 1961–1962 season.
Lawrence Melvin Bunce is an American former professional basketball player. He was drafted in 1967 by the Seattle SuperSonics in the fourth round of that year's NBA draft, but opted to start and end his professional career in the ABA.
Stephen Chubin, also known as "Chube" is an American former professional basketball player.
Lester Revell Selvage was an American professional basketball player.
The 1968–69 ABA season was the second season for the American Basketball Association. Two teams relocated: Minnesota Muskies became the Miami Floridians. The Pittsburgh Pipers moved to Minnesota and became the Minnesota Pipers. Two others relocated within their territory. The Anaheim Amigos became the Los Angeles Stars. The New Jersey Americans became the New York Nets. The season ended with the Oakland Oaks capturing their first ABA championship.
The 1969–70 Indiana Pacers season was Indiana's third season in the ABA and third as a team. The Pacers finished first in the Eastern Division and won their first ABA title.
Jeffrey D. Congdon is an American former basketball player from Garden Grove, California.
The 1969–70 ABA season was the third season of the American Basketball Association. Prior to the start of the season, the Minnesota Pipers moved back to Pittsburgh, the Oakland Oaks moved to Washington, D.C., and became the Washington Caps and the Houston Mavericks moved to North Carolina and became the Carolina Cougars. For the regular-season, the schedule was increased from 78 to 84 games per team. The season ended with the Indiana Pacers capturing their first ABA Championship.
The 1970–71 Utah Stars season was the first season for the Stars in Utah. After one season in Anaheim and two seasons in Los Angeles, the team moved to Utah in June 1970. The Stars finished second in the Western Division and won their first and only ABA title. In the Semifinals, the Stars swept the Texas Chaparrals in four games. In the Division Finals, they beat the Indiana Pacers in seven games to advance to the ABA Finals. In seven games, they beat the Kentucky Colonels, to give the state of Utah its first pro championship.
The 1967–68 Anaheim Amigos season was the first and only season of the franchise in the American Basketball Association (ABA). On February 2, 1967, a charter franchise in Anaheim, California was awarded to Art Kim and James Ackerman for $30,000. They participated in the first ever ABA game, losing 134–129 to the Oakland Oaks. The team ended up losing their first five games of the season, winning their first game 13 days later. The team only played 12 games at home in the calendar year of 1967, while playing on the road for the other 25. The team failed to garner much interest from the locale, along with having to deal with working around the Convention Center's busy schedule due to being across the street from Disneyland. Three of the home games for the Amigos were played in Honolulu, Hawaii. The team lost $500,000 over the course of the season. They led the league in turnovers with 1,516, averaging over 19 a game, with the highest being 36 against the Denver Rockets.
The 1968–69 Los Angeles Stars season was the first season of the franchise in Los Angeles in the American Basketball Association (ABA). The team had been bought by construction businessman Jim Kirst in the summer of 1968, and were subsequently moved to the city of Los Angeles, to play in Los Angeles Sports Arena, with a new head coach and a roster that dispatched most of the Amigo lineup from the previous year. On October 30, 1968, the Stars played the New Orleans Buccaneers, losing 112–109 to a crowd of 3,700. The Stars ended up finishing 5th place in the Western Division, finishing 8 games behind the 4th place Chaparrals.
The 1969–70 Los Angeles Stars season was the second and final season of the franchise in Los Angeles in the American Basketball Association (ABA). Late in February of the season, the team was 25-34, but by April 1, they were 40–38, with two 6 game winning streaks in that span. The Stars qualified for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Western Division by one game. The team soon went on a miracle run, beating the Chaparrals and Rockets, in 6 and 5 games respectively, to advance to the ABA Finals. The dream ended there, however, as the Indiana Pacers beat them in 6 games. The team ended up playing some of their playoff games in Anaheim and Long Beach due to no one expecting the team to go that far in the playoffs. However, owner Jim Kirst had decided to cut his losses and sell the team to Colorado businessman Bill Daniels on March 5, 1970 for $850,000, who moved the team to Salt Lake City, Utah, on June 11 to become the Utah Stars. The next season, the team won the ABA Finals.
