American Basketball Association

The American Basketball Association consisted of two distinct professional basketball leagues.

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Original ABA

The original ABA was founded in 1967, competing with the more established, rival National Basketball Association until reaching an agreement of merger in 1976. Ultimately four ABA teams were absorbed into the older league: the New York Nets, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, and San Antonio Spurs. Two other clubs, the Kentucky Colonels and the Spirits of St. Louis were disbanded upon the merger. A third, the Virginia Squires, had folded less than a month earlier, missing out on the opportunities a merger might provide.

The ABA distinguished itself from its older counterpart with a more wide-open style of offensive play as well as differences in rules (a 30-second shot clock as opposed to the NBA's 24, use of a 3-point basket, etc.) The freewheeling style of the ABA eventually caught on with fans, but the lack of a national television contract and protracted financial losses would spell doom for the ABA as an independent circuit.

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List of ABA teams

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ABA Championship Series results

1967-1968 - Pittsburgh Pipers defeated New Orleans Buccaneers, 4 games to 3.
1968-1969 - Oakland Oaks defeated Indiana Pacers, 4 games to 1.
1969-1970 - Indiana Pacers defeated Los Angeles Stars, 4 games to 2.
1970-1971 - Utah Stars defeated Kentucky Colonels, 4 games to 3.
1971-1972 - Indiana Pacers defeated New York Nets, 4 games to 2.
1972-1973 - Indiana Pacers defeated Kentucky Colonels, 4 games to 3.
1973-1974 - New York Nets defeated Utah Stars, 4 games to 1.
1974-1975 - Kentucky Colonels defeated Indiana Pacers, 4 games to 1.
1975-1976 - New York Nets defeated Denver Nuggets, 4 games to 2.

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ABA (2000-2002, 2003-present)

A new American Basketball Association was formed in the late 1990s and played from 2000 to 2002. The league suspended operations after the 2002 season, but resumed play in 2003-2004. The league is currently undertaking an ambitious expansion for its 2004-2005 season, admitting virtually any club willing to pay the league's low ($ 20,000) expansion fee.

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