The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist after merging with the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1976. In total, the league held nine all-star games, with all but the last being between the Western Division and the Eastern Division. In the final one, it was held between the first place team at the time of the All-Star break face off against a selected group of All-Stars, regardless of conference.
* | Elected in Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
Eastern Division (5 wins) | Western Division (3 wins) | Denver Nuggets (1 win) |
---|---|---|
Year | Result | Host arena | Host city | Game MVP |
---|---|---|---|---|
1968 | East 126, West 120 | Hinkle Fieldhouse | Indianapolis | Larry Brown*, New Orleans Buccaneers |
1969 | West 133, East 127 | Louisville Convention Center | Louisville, Kentucky | John Beasley, Dallas Chaparrals |
1970 | West 128, East 98 | Fairgrounds Coliseum | Indianapolis (2) | Spencer Haywood*, Denver Rockets |
1971 | East 126, West 122 | Greensboro Coliseum | Greensboro, North Carolina | Mel Daniels*, Indiana Pacers |
1972 | East 142, West 115 | Freedom Hall | Louisville, Kentucky (2) | Dan Issel*, Kentucky Colonels |
1973 | West 123, East 111 | Salt Palace | Salt Lake City | Warren Jabali, Denver Rockets |
1974 | East 128, West 112 | Norfolk Scope | Norfolk, Virginia | Artis Gilmore*, Kentucky Colonels |
1975 | East 151, West 124 | HemisFair Arena | San Antonio, Texas | Freddie Lewis, Spirits of St. Louis |
1976 | Denver Nuggets 144, ABA All-Stars 138 | McNichols Arena | Denver, Colorado | David Thompson*, Denver Nuggets |
* | Elected in Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
* | Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach |
Year | Head coach | Team | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
1968 | Babe McCarthy (2) | New Orleans Buccaneers | [1] |
1969 | Alex Hannum * | Oakland Oaks | [2] |
1970 | Babe McCarthy (3) | New Orleans Buccaneers | [3] |
1971 | Bill Sharman * | Utah Stars | [4] |
1972 | LaDell Andersen | Utah Stars | [5] |
1973 | LaDell Andersen (2) | Utah Stars | [6] |
1974 | Joe Mullaney (2) | Utah Stars | [7] |
1975 | Larry Brown* (2) | Denver Nuggets | [8] |
Year | Head coach | Team | All-Star Team | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1976 | Kevin Loughery (2) | New York Nets | ABA All-Stars | [9] |
1976 | Larry Brown* (3) | Denver Nuggets | Denver Nuggets | [9] |
Head coach | # | Selections |
---|---|---|
Larry Brown* | 3 | 1973 (Eastern Division) 1975 (Western Division) 1976 (Denver Nuggets) |
Babe McCarthy | 3 | 1968 (Western Division) 1970 (Western Division) 1974 (Eastern Division) |
Kevin Loughery | 2 | 1975 (Eastern Division) 1976 (ABA All-Stars) |
LaDell Andersen | 2 | 1972 (Western Division) 1973 (Western Division) |
Joe Mullaney | 2 | 1972 (Eastern Division) 1974 (Western Division) |
The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a popular men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA merged into the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1976, resulting in four ABA teams joining the NBA and the introduction of the NBA 3-point shot in 1979.
Richard Francis Dennis Barry III is an American retired professional basketball player who starred at the NCAA, American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) levels. Barry ranks among the most prolific scorers and all-around players in basketball history. He is the only one to lead the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), ABA, and NBA in points per game in a season. He ranks as the all-time ABA scoring leader in regular season and postseason (33.5) play, while his 36.3 points per game are the most in the NBA Finals history. Barry was also the only player to score at least 50 points in a Game 7 of the playoffs in either league until Stephen Curry and Jayson Tatum both reached that mark in 2022. He is one of only four players to be a part of a championship team in both leagues.
George Gervin, nicknamed "the Iceman", is an American former 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.
Moses Eugene Malone Sr. was an American professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1974 through 1995. A center, he was named the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times, was a 12-time NBA All-Star and an eight-time All-NBA Team selection. Malone led the Philadelphia 76ers to an NBA championship in 1983, winning both the league and Finals MVP. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2001. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the sport's history, Malone is also seen as one of the most underrated NBA players.
Artis Gilmore Sr. 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.
David O'Neil Thompson is an American former professional basketball player. He played with the Denver Nuggets of both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA), as well as the Seattle SuperSonics of the NBA. He was previously a star in college for North Carolina State, leading the Wolfpack to its first NCAA championship in 1974. Thompson is one of the eight players to score 70 or more points in an NBA game. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996.
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.
George F. McGinnis was an American professional basketball player who played 11 seasons in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers, earning third-team All-American honors in 1971, before starting his pro career in the ABA with the Indiana Pacers. A three-time ABA All-Star with the Pacers, McGinnis was named the ABA Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1975 and won two ABA championships with the team. He was a three-time NBA All-Star with the Philadelphia 76ers. He was named to the ABA All-Time Team and inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Spencer Haywood is an American former professional basketball player and Olympic gold medalist. Haywood is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, being inducted in 2015.
The American Basketball Association (ABA) is an American semi-professional men's basketball minor league that was founded in 1999.
Maurice Lucas was an American professional basketball player who played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a four-time NBA All-Star and won an NBA championship with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977. He was named to the ABA All-Time Team.
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, 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.
The 1962 NBA draft was the 16th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on March 26, 1962, before the 1962–63 season. In this draft, nine NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players. A player who had finished his four-year college eligibility was eligible for selection. If a player left college early, he would not be eligible for selection until his college class graduated. In each round, the teams selected in reverse order of their won–loss record in the previous season. Before the draft, a team could forfeit its first-round draft pick, then select any player from within a 50-mile radius of its home arena as their territorial pick. The Chicago Packers, who finished last in the previous season, were renamed the Chicago Zephyrs. The Philadelphia Warriors relocated to San Francisco and became the San Francisco Warriors prior to the start of the season. The draft consisted of 16 rounds, comprising 102 players selected.
Donald R. Buse is a retired American professional basketball player. A 6'4" point guard from the University of Evansville, Buse played 13 seasons (1972–1985) in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Indiana Pacers, the Phoenix Suns, the Portland Trail Blazers, and the Kansas City Kings.
The 1976 ABA All Star Game was the ninth and final American Basketball Association All-Star Game, played at McNichols Arena in Denver, Colorado, on January 27, 1976. This time, the league abandoned the usual East vs. West format it used from the 1967-68 season onward and instead had the league's first-place team at the All Star break face off against a team of ABA All Stars. The change was decided given the league's reduction from ten to seven teams and from two divisions to only one. At the All-Star break, the Denver Nuggets were in first place, which was convenient as the Nuggets had also been selected to host the game in McNichols Arena. Kevin Loughery of the New York Nets coached the All-Stars while Larry Brown led the Denver Nuggets. This was the second year in a row that Loughery and Brown coached against each other in the ABA All-Star Game.
The ABA-NBA merger was a major pro sports business maneuver in 1976 when the American Basketball Association (ABA) combined with the National Basketball Association (NBA), after multiple attempts over several years. The NBA and ABA had entered merger talks as early as 1970, but an antitrust suit filed by the head of the NBA players union, Robertson v. National Basketball Ass'n, blocked the merger until 1976.
The 1969–70 Phoenix Suns season was the second season of the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was the first season, however, for eventual Hall of Famer Connie Hawkins, who was a star in the ABA before switching to the NBA to join the Suns. Head coach Johnny "Red" Kerr was replaced by general manager Jerry Colangelo after the Suns started 15–23. All home games were played at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum.