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.
Daniel Paul Issel is an American former professional basketball player and coach. An outstanding collegian at the University of Kentucky, Issel was twice named an All-American en route to a school-record 25.7 points per game for his career. The American Basketball Association Rookie of the Year in 1971, he was a six-time ABA All-Star and a one-time NBA All-Star.
William Edward Paultz is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and in the now defunct American Basketball Association (ABA). Nicknamed "the Whopper", He was a 4-time ABA All-Star and led the ABA in blocks in 1976.
Clifford Oldham Hagan is an American former professional basketball player. A 6′ 4″ forward who excelled with the hook shot, Hagan, nicknamed "Li’l Abner", played his entire 10-year NBA career (1956–1966) with the St. Louis Hawks. He was also a player-coach for the Dallas Chaparrals in the first two-plus years of the American Basketball Association's existence (1967–1970). Hagan is a five-time NBA All-Star and an ABA All-Star. He won an NCAA basketball championship in 1951 as a member of the Kentucky Wildcats, and he won an NBA championship with the Hawks in 1958.
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.
Cincinnatus Powell was an American professional basketball player. A 6'7" forward from the University of Portland, Powell was selected by the St. Louis Hawks in the eighth round of the 1965 NBA draft. He did not make the Hawks' roster, but he would soon blossom while playing for the American Basketball Association's Dallas Chaparrals. Powell averaged 18.3 points and nine rebounds in his first season with the Chaparrals, and two years later he represented Dallas in the ABA All-Star Game. Powell also spent time with the Kentucky Colonels, Utah Stars, and Virginia Squires, and he ended his ABA career in 1975 with 9,746 total points. Powell is a first cousin of former United States Secretary of State Colin Powell. Powell's son, Cincy Jr. died in 2004 at age 35, the result of Juvenile Diabetes. Powell is an inductee in the University of Portland Hall of Fame.
Ronald Bruce Boone is an American former professional basketball player. He had a 13-year career in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA). Boone set a record for most consecutive games played in professional basketball history with 1,041 and claims to have never missed a game from when he started playing basketball in the fourth grade until his retirement. Boone is the current color commentator on Utah Jazz broadcasts.
Allan Mercer Bristow, Jr. is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive. Bristow played college basketball at Virginia Tech, and was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the 1973 NBA draft. A 6 ft 7 in, 210 lb (95 kg) small forward, he had a 10-year career in both the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the American Basketball Association (ABA), playing for the Sixers, the San Antonio Spurs, the Utah Jazz, and finishing his playing career with the Dallas Mavericks. His nickname was "Disco".
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.
Donald E. Freeman is an American former professional basketball player. He spent eight seasons (1967–1975) in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and one season (1975–1976) in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Freeman was the youngest of four children.
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.
Robert Bruce Verga is an American retired professional basketball player, who played in the American Basketball Association and the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1967 to 1974. He was a 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) guard and played college basketball at Duke University. He was a two-time ABA All-Star, in 1968 and 1970.
Carl John Neumann, nicknamed "Johnny Reb", was an American professional basketball player and coach. At 6'6" and 200 pounds, he played at the shooting guard and small forward positions.
James Ronald McDaniels was an American professional basketball player. He played collegiately for Western Kentucky University and was the number one overall pick in the 1971 American Basketball Association Draft. McDaniels played as an ABA All-Star in 1972.
James "Joe" Hamilton Jr. is an American former professional basketball player.
Emanuel Leaks Jr. is an American former professional basketball player.
Samuel Chestley Smith Sr. was an American professional basketball player who played four seasons in the American Basketball Association (ABA). He played for the Minnesota Muskies, Kentucky Colonels, and Utah Stars from 1967 to 1971. Prior to turning professional, he was noted for being one of the first three African American basketball players at the University of Louisville. He later transferred to Kentucky Wesleyan College and helped the school win its first NCAA Division II championship in 1966.
Ronald Sanford is an American former professional basketball player. The 6 ft 9 in (206 cm), 215 lb (98 kg) post player was described as not intimidating but a smooth and active player who could score. After playing collegiately for New Mexico, he played in the ABA for the Dallas Chaparrals in 1971, spending the near entirety of his career in Europe.
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 1971–72 Utah Stars season was the 2nd season of the Stars in Utah and 5th overall in the American Basketball Association. The Stars went 31–11 in the first half of the season, while going 29–13 in the second half of the season, with a ten-game winning streak near the end of the season. Their biggest losing streak was three, which happened four times during the season. They finished 3rd in points scored at 117.8 per game, and 4th in points allowed at 112.0 per game. The Stars swept the Dallas Chaparrals in the Semifinals but lost to the Indiana Pacers in seven games, denying them a repeat ABA Finals appearance.
