July 3, 2007

If basketball is to sports what jazz is to music, then the American Basketball Association was the free-spirited equivalent of the avant-garde jazz of the `60's and `70's; non-conformist, radical, chaotic, fun, entertaining, and oh so talented. If you were one of the few who caught the ABA in action on any given night you might find Julius "Dr. J" Erving soaring on the sax, Connie "the Hawk" Hawkins keeping rhythm on bass, Dan "the Horse" Issel tickling the ivories, George "the Iceman" Gervin making like Miles on the trumpet, and Moses Malone pounding the skins.

In an era of sports overexposure, the ABA, the outlaw league, was a meteor across the sky that continues to capture the imagination. It was a revolutionary league that lasted for nine years and showcased some remarkably talented players that no one saw.....well, almost no one. Most teams had serious attendance problems and few had television contracts. Inevitably, the history of the league is a word-of-mouth history, preserved by those who came to worship the up-tempo, above the rim, entertaining ABA game. And while remaining somewhat of a mystery, this professional basketball league would change how the game is played today.

The ABA was officially born on February 2, 1967, the brainchild of promoter Dennis Murphy who would later found the World Football League, the World Hockey Association, and World Team Tennis. Murphy and his fellow promoters sought to do battle with the struggling, stuffy NBA and to merge with the older league a la the American Football League and the National Football League.

Murphy's merry band of promoters and owners felt that there were cities in America that would support professional basketball. Initially, the ABA stocked ten charter franchises including the Houston Mavericks, Pittsburgh Pipers, Minnesota Muskies, Indiana Pacers, New Jersey Americans, New Orleans Buccaneers, Dallas Chaparrals, Anaheim Amigos, Oakland Oaks, and Kansas City . The latter would quickly relocate to Denver before the start of the first season. An eleventh team, the Kentucky Colonels, was added later.

Challenge the status quo, question authority, revolutionary rhetoric were all in the air during the late `60's and `70's. "Do your own thing." The ABA made every effort to challenge, question, and revolutionize the game of basketball by doing its own thing. To compete with the NBA meant adding flash, dash, and splash to the hardwood game. The new league embarked on a no-holds barred effort to create an entertaining, exciting, and dazzling brand of basketball. From the outset innovation was the driving force.

At its inception the league shocked the basketball world by asking why does the ball have to be brown and introduced a red, white and blue ball to the world. The league masterminds would follow that jolt to tradition by permitting the three-point shot from beyond the 25-foot arc, by introducing the 30-second clock, and the crowd-pleasing Slam Dunk contest during its All Star games. Seeing basketball as much entertainment as sport, and being career promoters, the movers and shakers of the ABA believed nothing was too sacred to be challenged, nothing should be left standing that might inhibit a fast break, up-tempo style of basketball that was intended to appeal to basketball fans and non-fans, and shock the much slower and stodgier NBA.

Marketing was certainly a key component of the ABA's strategy. The Miami Floridians, renowned for their scantily clad ballgirls, also engaged in provocative promotions. One promotion did not mention the teams the Floridians were playing, but did proclaim: "FREE PANTYHOSE..." for the first 500 ladies through the turnstiles. Other Florida promotions included live turkeys for Thanksgiving, 15 pounds of smoked fish (to one lucky fan), 57 pounds of Irish potatoes (on "Irish Night", also to one lucky fan), 53 pumpkin pies, vats of gefilte fish, kegs of beer, ice cream, and ABA balls. Of course, the Miami franchise was the same one its new ownership took the novel approach of firing the entire team and retaining the coach.

The competition between the two leagues was red hot because the ABA teams made every effort to sign the best talent coming out of high school, college, AAU ball and tempt NBA players to jump to the new league. During its nine-year lifetime the ABA became the basketball home to such dazzling players as Julius Erving, Connie Hawkins, George Gervin, David Thompson, George McGinnis, Artis Gilmore, Moses Malone, Roger Brown, and Dan Issel. Established NBA stars Rick Barry, Billy Cunningham, Zelmo Beaty, Joe Caldwell, and even Wilt Chamberlain moved to the ABA.

The ABA also boasted an all-star lineup of coaches such as Bob "Slick" Leonard, Al Bianchi, Alex Hannum, Joe Mullaney, Jim Pollard, and Bill Sharman. The New York Nets lured Dave DeBusschere from the NBA to become their general manager. DeBusschere would become the commissioner of the ABA in its final year prior to the completion of the merger with the NBA in 1976. Erving, Hawkins, Gervin, Malone, Issel, Barry, Cunningham, Hannum, Pollard, Sharman, Chamberlain, and DeBusschere are all members of the Basketball Hall of Fame.

And there were a number of talented and unique characters in the ABA. Les Selvage of the Anaheim Amigos shot 461 three-pointers in one season; Amigos owner Art Kim chased referees into their locker at the end of a game, irate over the way they called the game; John Brisker had such a propensity to start fights on the court that an opposing team promoted a "John Brisker Intimidation Night" so that fans could vent their whatever on Brisker; Marvin "Bad News" Barnes, ABA Rookie of the Year, ABA All-Rookie Team, and member ABA All-Pro Team 1974-75 also had a tendency to disappear on game days; Eugene "Goo" Kennedy, ABA All-Rookie team 1971-72 was nicknamed "Little Bird" by his brothers, themselves nicknamed "Bird Brain" and "Bird Chest;" Warren Armstrong/Jabali, ABA Rookie of the Year, ABA All-Rookie Team 1969, four-time ABA All-Star, member of the 1972-73 ABA All-Pro Team, MVP of 1972-73 ABA All-Star Game, member of 1968-69 Oakland Oaks ABA championship team, also known for his intense demeanor on the court and his fierce advocacy of black militancy.

Unfortunately, lack of television revenue and weak attendance made relocation a persistent theme throughout the ABA's nine-year existence. Teams constantly moved from place to place in search of a supportive fan base. Movement began even before the league opened play and would continue throughout its short run of existence.

The Anaheim Amigos became the Los Angeles Stars after one season with a new owner, new name, arena, team colors, front office, trainer, and all but two of the players.

The Memphis Sounds moved to Baltimore, back to Memphis, and then back to Baltimore where the team subsequently was terminated by the league.

The Houston Mavericks moved to North Carolina after only two seasons. The Carolina Cougars, one of the ABA's more successful teams, itself would end up moving to St. Louis.

The league's first champion, the Pittsburgh Pipers, had to set up new digs the year after winning the championship.

The Dallas Chaparrals would become the Texas Chaparrals, playing in as many as three different Texas cities in one season, and then move permanently to San Antonio to become the Spurs.

Other teams besides Dallas would attempt to alter their identity by becoming more of a "regional" team, hence, the Carolina Cougars, the Virginia Squires, the Kentucky Colonels. The Miami Floridians played games in Miami, Tampa/St. Pete, Jacksonville, and West Palm Beach and became known simply as the Floridians. Some teams, such as Denver, changed ownership and names going from the Rockets to the Nuggets. Two teams, the Denver Nuggets and the New York Nets would actually attempt to move to the NBA.

In June, 1976, after years of on-again, off-again negotiations, the NBA announced that Denver, New York, San Antonio, and Indiana would join the NBA. Each team would pay $3.2 million for the privilege, with the Nets paying an additional $4 million to the Knicks for invading their territory. The former ABA teams were not allowed to participate in the 1976 NBA Draft, and could not share in any NBA television money for three years. All other ABA teams went out of business, as did the ABA itself. The red, white and blue ball bounced off into history. When it became apparent that the NBA would only allow the four ABA teams to join the NBA, St. Louis owners Ozzie and Dan Silna reached an agreement with the other remaining ABA owners. In return for folding their team, the Spirits' owners received $2.2 million in cash and 1/7 of any future television money received from each of the surviving ABA teams, or 4/7 of an annual television share--in perpetuity. In the late 1970's, the NBA's television contract was modest in scope. But as the NBA's popularity exploded in the 1980's and 1990's, the league's television rights to various networks for hundreds of millions of dollars. Over the years, the Silnas have collected millions of dollars from the NBA, despite the fact that the Spirits never played an NBA game.

While the San Antonio Spurs have won two NBA titles since joining the league, none of the other ABA teams have enjoyed comparable success, including three time ABA champions Indiana Pacers. Yet, for many basketball fans the ABA remains the exemplar of the glory days of professional basketball. And for many, those memories include the scintillating hardwood music played by Dr. J, Iceman, Hawk, Horse, Moses, and scores of others.