American+Basketball+Association

The American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association, also known as the ABA, was founded in 1967 by Gary Davidson who was from Los Angeles, CA. The ABA was, by some, called the “outlaw” league because of their red, white, and blue ball, crazy promotions and their “huge afros.” This league was made because the game of basketball needed that flair and style that no one could make happen until Gary Davidson found it. The league brought many attributes to the game of basketball that has stayed with it to this day. Even though the ABA brought so much to the game, it unfortunately folded just nine years later in 1976.

Table of Contents: The Beginning Attributes Players Failuers The Ending Analysis Work Cited

The Beginning: The American Basketball Association was founded in 1967 by Gary Davidson. Gary Davidson was noted in Sports Illustrated 1994 article as “one of the 40 most influential sports figures.” He had not only founded the American Basketball Association but also the American Football Association and the World Hockey Association. All his founded leagues died out and disappeared but left a great influence on the National Basketball Association, the National Football League and the National hockey Association. The whole reason for the American Basketball Association was to eventually “force a merger with the more established league,” the National Basketball Association. Which later came to be true when the New York Nets, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers and the San Antonio Spurs of the ABA all joined the NBA.

Attributes: The ABA was only around for nine years but in those years they had an effect on the game of basketball that can never be forgotten. The ABA played with a few different rules and styles of play. The ABA had a “more wide-open, flashy style of offensive play.” This pleased a lot of fans with the addition of their “above the rim” players that made a lot of “oohs” and “awes” as the game went on. The league also created the three-point line, which not only made to made the scores higher, but was “designed to make defenders step out and contest good outside shooters.” This opened up the court, which enabled the offensive players to drive to the rim. This was different from the NBA because the defense would pack it into the lane which forced teams to take further shots and still only be two points. 

Players: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The ABA visibly had more African-merican players than any other race and in the NBA. This did not mean all the best players were African-American. One of the league's all time best was Louie Dampier, who has the career high in scoring, assists, and three-pointers. Other “Stars” from the ABA were: Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Moses Malone, Rick Barry, David Thompson and George “Ice Man” Gervin. Julius Erving was one of the best dunkers in the league which was evident when he won the first broadcast dunk contest ever in 1976. These players brought many things to basketball, but the one that will live on forever is the “slam dunk.” The ABA players were the pioneers to the dunk and the foundation to what it is now.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Failures: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Though all the pros of the ABA there was some major cons. The ABA had lacked many business skills that it would have needed to keep going. One of the main problems was that it failed to have television contracts which made it even harder for fans to watch the game. The ABA had played NBA teams and those games were usually some of the only games showing the ABA teams nationally on T.V. With having hardly no television appearances the league “was bound to fail.” Another issue the league had was that the location of the teams were “badly” judged. There were several teams of the ABA that had a population that could not support a professional team. Some of those cities were: St. Louis, Memphis, Oakland and Minneapolis. This was also a major problem because they were not making enough money for the teams to stay in one location so many teams either relocated or disappeared.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Ending: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Due to its major business problems the American Basketball Association folded in 1976 leaving behind nine years of innovation and history to the game of basketball. The red, white and blue basketball is notable to the ABA and so is the dunk contest and its “above the rim” players. Many fans thought that, “The American Basketball Association had all the flair everyone wanted the NBA to have.” <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Analysis: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The American Basketball League was one of the many leagues that was started to create competition, but unlike some, the ABA made many contributions. For example, the ABA was a much more intense league. It brought many attributes that changed the game of basketball, it helped out the economy for teams, and it broke segregation barriers that was still in place at that time.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">During the 1960’s the NBA was the only professional basketball league that was being taken serious. Fans thought that it lacked intensity and flair. In the NBA the defenses were packed into the paint because there was no reason to guard the offensive player far from the basketball. It is harder to shoot the ball then to make a layup. This made the game a lot slower and a lot less action above the rim. The ABA changed all of that. It designed the three point line in order to make the defender guard the shooters, and it also made the games score increase because there were higher scores. Most fans liked all the points being scored because the game became more intense defensively and made the game more lively, which the NBA lacked. Also the ABA acquired players that were athletic. This meant there was many more “high flying” dunks that the fans loved to see. This added the flair that people wanted to see in a game they were paying money for. Paying money, to many, is not just something you do for fun. If you spend money you want the money to go to good use and not be a waste. With the added flair that the ABA brought this made people want to watch the games.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The only problem the ABA did was put the teams in cities that could not afford to sustain and manage a professional basketball team. This made the franchises not makes enough money to sustain the team and thrive. As a result to this many of the ABA teams like, the New Jersey Americans, had to relocate or fold as a team completely. The New Jersey Americans became the New York Knicks, which is a team the is in the NBA now. This shows that the teams moving to different cities actually worked and was an effective decision. Although, a good thing this did do was create competition to the NBA. Before the ABA had begun, there was no other challenge to the NBA. This meant they did not have to change or compromise to what the fans wanted because they were the only thing the fans had. With the ABA having attributes the NBA did not have the NBA had to make a change and maintain an exceptional attendance record. It was a difficult task but the NBA later came to the conclusion that it would be a good idea to combine both the ABA and the NBA. The NBA saw this as an opportunity to get players and teams from the ABA and add the resources it lacked. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">With the merger of 1976 the NBA got the “high flyers,” the flair and the intensity the ABA had. Having the resources the fans wanted made the NBA that more successful. They earned more television viewers, more fans and the main goal, more money. The increase in money showed that the American people thought it was worth their money to watch the game and enjoy their time.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The ABA’s primary contribution was the barriers it broke for segregation. The American Basketball Association was a predominately African American League but still had many Caucasians and other races. At the time the NBA was mainly a Caucasian league that did not have many African Americans. The ABA’s main purpose, in the long run, was to merge with the NBA and one thing the merge later did was put more African Americans in the NBA. In the 1960’s and 1970’s there was still racial tension that we have seen in basically every period in time. This allowed more African American basketball players into the NBA and therefore brought a wider fan base for the NBA also. Having more African Americans in the league and having more viewers meant more money and a better profit to the league.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Overall the merge with the ABA was probably the best event that could have happened for the NBA. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The ABA has shown that it was more than a league that was around for nine years. It has changed the game by making it more exciting, improved the economy to the remaining teems and it most of all desegregated the NBA.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Work Cited = = <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">"ABA - More Than Just A GAME!" //HomeTeamsONLINE - Sports Web Site Templates for Teams, Leagues, Free Sports Websites, Stats Software Program//. Web. 06 June 2011. [].

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">"American Basketball Association (ABA) Men's Basketball on OurSports Central." //Minor League Sports News on OurSports Central//. Web. 06 June 2011. [].

= = <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"Gary Davidson | Start-ups or Upstarts, He Was There at the Creation - Los Angeles Times." Featured Articles From The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles times, 14 Apr. 2008. Web. 22 May 2011. [].

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Lenchiner, Jeff. "InsideHoops - NBA History." InsideHoops.com - NBA Basketball News, Rumors - Pro, College Basketball, High School Hoops. 2011. Web. 23 May 2011.[].

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">//NBA.com//. Web. 06 June 2011. [].

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> "Remember the ABA." Remember the ABA. 04 Apr. 2011. Web. 23 May 2011 .[].

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sachare, Alex. "NBA.com: 24-Second Clock Revived the Game." NBA.com. 2011. Web. 22 May 2011. <http://www.nba.com/history/24secondclock.html.