American Basketball Association facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
American Basketball Association (ABA)

Logo of the ABA
Sport	Basketball
Founded	1967
Ceased	1976 (merger)
No. of teams	11
Country	United States
Last champion(s)	New York Nets (2nd title)
Most titles	Indiana Pacers (3 titles)

The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a professional basketball league for men. It ran from 1967 to 1976. The ABA joined with the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1976. This event is called the ABA–NBA merger. Because of this merger, four ABA teams joined the NBA. Also, the exciting 3-point shot was brought into the NBA in 1979.

The ABA Story: A New Basketball League

The ABA started when many new sports leagues were forming. Basketball seemed like a good sport for a new league. The NBA was still quite new then. It had only been around for 21 seasons. The ABA wanted to challenge the NBA. Some owners hoped to force the NBA to merge with them. They were told it would be cheaper to start an ABA team than an NBA team. They believed their investment would grow a lot if a merger happened.

The ABA was different from the NBA in many ways. It had a more open and exciting style of play. The ABA used a 30-second shot clock at first, then switched to 24 seconds like the NBA. It also used a three-point field goal arc, which was a new idea at the time. The ABA also used a special red, white, and blue basketball. The NBA used a traditional orange ball. Some ABA teams, like the Virginia Squires, played games in different cities.

The ABA even hired some of the best referees from the NBA. They offered them more money and benefits. This helped raise salaries for both players and referees.

Fans eventually liked the ABA's free-flowing style. But the league struggled without a national TV deal. It also lost a lot of money. In its last year, 1976, the ABA started the popular slam dunk contest. This happened at its all-star game in Denver.

The ABA Joins the NBA

The ABA successfully pushed for a merger with the NBA in 1976. Four ABA teams joined the NBA: the New York Nets, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, and San Antonio Spurs. These four teams were not allowed to pick players in the 1976 NBA Draft.

The merger was tough for the New York Nets. The New York Knicks were already big in New York. The Nets had to pay the Knicks a lot of money. The Nets even offered their superstar player, Julius Erving, to the Knicks, but they said no. To save money, the Nets had to sell Erving to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Two other ABA teams, the Kentucky Colonels and the Spirits of St. Louis, closed down. Their owners received money. The Spirits owners got a special deal. They would get a share of the other ABA teams' TV money forever. This deal made them over $800 million over time! The Virginia Squires team closed before the merger and got nothing. Players from these teams could join NBA teams through a special draft.

One big thing the ABA did was bring professional basketball to new areas. It focused on places in the Southeast that loved college basketball. The NBA mostly had teams in big cities in the Northeast, Midwest, and West Coast.

Leaders of the ABA

• George Mikan 1967–1969
• James Carson Gardner 1969 (temporary)
• Jack Dolph 1969–1972
• Bob Carlson 1972–1973
• Mike Storen 1973–74
• Tedd Munchak 1974–75
• Dave DeBusschere 1975–76

NBA legend George Mikan was the first ABA commissioner. He helped bring in the 3-point line and the famous red, white, and blue basketball. Dave DeBusschere, a star from the New York Knicks, became the last ABA commissioner. He helped make the ABA–NBA merger happen.

The Spencer Haywood Rule

The ABA helped create a rule that changed how players could join the NBA. This was called the Spencer Haywood Hardship Rule. Before this rule, players had to finish four years of college before joining the NBA. The ABA was more flexible. It allowed players to leave college early if they had special reasons, like financial needs.

In 1969, Spencer Haywood left college early to play for the Denver Rockets in the ABA. The NBA and college sports groups didn't like this at first. But after courts ruled in favor of Haywood, the NBA changed its rules. Players could now join the league early if they had financial or family difficulties. Haywood's case opened the door for other young stars like George McGinnis and Julius Erving to play professionally sooner. Today, the NBA's "one-and-done" rule, where players can enter after one year of college, comes from this ABA idea.

The Slam Dunk Contest

The ABA was the first to have the exciting NBA slam dunk contest. It happened at the last ABA All-Star Game in 1976. The league wanted to make sure the event was super entertaining for the fans. They were talking about merging with the NBA, and they wanted to show how exciting their league was.

The dunk contest was held during halftime of the All-Star game. Famous players like Artis Gilmore, George Gervin, David Thompson, Larry Kenon, and Julius Erving competed. The winner got $1,000 and a stereo system! Julius Erving won by doing his famous dunk from the free throw line. The NBA later adopted the Slam Dunk Contest, making it a permanent part of its All-Star Weekend in 1984.

ABA Teams

Out of the first 11 teams, only the Kentucky Colonels and Indiana Pacers stayed in the same city and kept the same name for all nine seasons. The Denver Larks/Rockets/Nuggets were supposed to play in Kansas City but moved to Denver before playing any games. Besides the four teams that joined the NBA, eight other current NBA cities used to have an ABA team. These include Utah, Dallas, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, Memphis, Minnesota and Charlotte.

Team History Timeline

ABA Championship Winners

In its last season, the ABA had only seven teams. Because of this, they stopped having separate divisions.

Famous ABA Players

Season Leaders in the ABA

Top Scorers

Rebounding Leaders

Assists Leaders

Steals Leaders

Blocks Leaders

Awards and Broadcasters

What Came After

In 1999, a new league started called the ABA 2000. This new league also uses a red, white, and blue basketball. However, it doesn't have players as famous as the original ABA. It also doesn't play in big arenas or on TV like the first ABA did.

See also

In Spanish: American Basketball Association para niños