The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first established in 1967 as a member of the American Basketball Association (ABA) and became a member of the NBA in 1976 as a result of the ABA–NBA merger. They play their home games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The team is named after the state of Indiana's history with the Indianapolis 500's pace cars and with the harness racing industry.
The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the Denver Larks in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association (ABA), but changed their name to Rockets before the first season. The Rockets then changed their name again to the Nuggets in 1974. After the name change, the Nuggets played for the final ABA Championship title in 1976, losing to the New York Nets.
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home games at the AT&T Center in San Antonio.
The Dallas Chaparrals were a charter member of the American Basketball Association (ABA). The team moved to San Antonio, Texas for the 1973–74 season and were renamed the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs joined the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the 1976–77 NBA season as a result of the ABA–NBA merger.
The Virginia Squires were a basketball team based in Norfolk, Virginia, and playing in several other Virginia cities. They were members of the American Basketball Association from 1970 to 1976.
George Gervin, nicknamed "the Iceman", is an American retired professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Virginia Squires, San Antonio Spurs, and Chicago Bulls. Gervin averaged at least 14 points per game in all 14 of his ABA and NBA seasons, and finished with an NBA career average of 26.2 points per game. In 1996, Gervin was named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, and in 2021, Gervin was named as one of the 75 greatest players in NBA history.
Artis Gilmore is an American former professional basketball player who played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA). Gilmore was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on August 12, 2011.
The American Basketball Association (ABA) is an American semi-professional men's basketball minor league that was founded in 1999.
John Brian Moore is an American former professional basketball player. Moore played college basketball for The University of Texas at Austin under head coaches Leon Black and Abe Lemons from 1975 to 1979. He spent his entire NBA career playing point guard for the San Antonio Spurs, save one game for the New Jersey Nets. A rare illness caused Moore to have his career put on hold in early 1986.
The 2001–02 NBA season was the 56th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning their third straight championship, beating the New Jersey Nets 4–0 in the 2002 NBA Finals.
Louis Dampier is an American retired professional basketball player.
James Edward Silas is a retired American professional basketball player, who played the point guard position. Born in Tallulah, Louisiana, Silas played the majority of his career with the Dallas Chaparrals/San Antonio Spurs of the ABA/NBA. His nicknames include "the Snake", "Captain Late" and "the Late Mr. Silas", the latter two referring to the fact that Silas seemed to play his best late in games.
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.
The 1974–75 ABA season was the eighth season of the American Basketball Association. The Kentucky Colonels won the 1975 ABA Championship after winning the Eastern Division; the Denver Nuggets won the Western Division. Julius Erving and George McGinnis shared the league's MVP award.
Spurs Sports & Entertainment L.L.C. (SS&E) is an American sports & entertainment organization, based in San Antonio, Texas. The company owns and operates several sporting franchises including the National Basketball Association (NBA) San Antonio Spurs, NBA G League Austin Spurs, and the USL Championship club San Antonio FC. SS&E also operates the Bexar County-owned multi-purpose facility, the AT&T Center.
The Shreveport Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Shreveport, Louisiana that plays in The Basketball League (TBL).
The 1971–72 Dallas Chaparrals season was the fifth season of the Chaparrals in the American Basketball Association. For the third straight season, the Chaps lost to the Stars in the Semifinals. This was the final playoff appearance for the team in Dallas before the move to San Antonio in 1974.
The 1972–73 Memphis Tams season was the 1st season of the Tams and 3rd overall season of American Basketball Association basketball in Memphis. After two seasons as the Memphis Pros with middling profits, Charles O. Finley bought the team on June 13, 1972. He proceeded to rebrand the team like his other teams that he had owned, changing the colors of the team to Kelly Green, California Gold, and Polar Bear White. The team's name was picked from an array of 20,000 postcards sent by fans, with the winner being given a $2,500 prize, which turned out to be Tams. Tams was meant to stand for the fans that resided in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi, with a tam-o-shanter hat being the main logo. In fact during the first ever game on October 12, 1972, the entire team came out wearing the hats. Finley also had a hand in the combinations of uniform colors worn, in part due to there every top and trunk being either green, gold, or white, with one notable combo being yellow tops with white trunks. For all of the flair the team had with uniforms, it did not translate into success on the court nor for attendance. By December, Finley tried to have negotiations to move the team to St. Paul, Minnesota, and Ron Franz was cut before Christmas. The Tams were 6th in points scored at 111.5 per game but were dead last in points allowed at 118.1 per game. They had two instances of 10 game losing streaks, with the Tams going a month between wins, losing 15 straight games from February 25 to March 24. By the time the streak ended, they had been eliminated from making the playoffs. They were the first team to lose 60 games since the Miami Floridians in 1969.
The 1973–74 Virginia Squires season was the 4th season of the Squires in the American Basketball Association. The team finished 6th in points scored at 106.3 points per game and 9th in points allowed at 111.3 points per game. The team was 15–27 midway through the season, but they went 13–29 in the second half of the season. Their biggest losing streak was 6 games, with their highest winning streak being 3 games, done twice. Despite this, they clinched the fourth and final playoff spot by 7 games. The Squires lost to Dr. J and the New York Nets in the Semifinals in 5 games. The money troubles that had troubled the franchise meant that the Squires were forced to trade away pivotal players of the franchise in order to provide short term stability. Julius Erving was traded to the New York Nets for George Carter and cash before the season started. Swen Nater was traded on November 21, 1973 to the San Antonio Spurs. The night of the All-Star Game, it was announced that the Squires sold George Gervin to the San Antonio Spurs for $225,000. Gervin's last game with the team was on February 1, but a court battle delayed his play with the Spurs, though it was all settled in favor of the Spurs by March 3. This was the last season the Squires made the playoffs as they went into a tailspin for the next two season, losing over 60 games each season.
