The ABA Is Different From The Nba In The 1970's

793 Words4 Pages

In 1970 there was a basketball league called the ABA which stood for American Basketball Association. This league competed with the NBA for fans and tv views. The ABA was made up of 11 teams in 1970. The commissioner for the ABA was Dave DeBusschere. The ABA was a different from the NBA in its rules, games, and players. The ABA was well known for its flashy or streetball talent. Most of his players were street ballers that were picked up by teams. One of the best players in the league was Julius Winfield Erving II. He was given the nickname Dr. J during a streetball tournament in Rucker Park in New York. It was said that kids would get out of school early when he played in a tournament. If you played in the ABA there were separate rules than …show more content…

The first 3-point line happened in this league. This league had the first slam dunk contest. This was won by Dr. J by dunking from the free throw line. This was hated by the NBA but soon adopted by them. The ABA had 11 teams when it started. It had great talent that some would consider that they could play in the NBA. The Virginia Squires had Dr. J on the team for couple of seasons. With players like David Thompson, Curtis Hawkins, and George Gervin. How could a league with talent like that shut down in seven …show more content…

While the NBA had players and coaches they decided to let four teams in by paying 3.2 million dollars. They let the Indiana Pacers, the San Antonio Spurs, the Denver nuggets and The Americas which would change their name to New York Nets. The teams that did not make it in were the Kentucky Colonels, Spirits of St. Louis, and the Virginia Squires. The Kentucky Colonels received a 3.3-million-dollar payout. The Spirits of St. Louis received 2.2 million in addition to 1/7th of the remaining four team’s television rights. The Virginia Squires got the worst end of the bargain and got absolutely nothing. The New York Nets had to pay 4.8 million to the Knicks for stealing audiences from their area. The NBA would not recognize their records and the four teams also got no television money for the first three seasons. The NBA would allow them to get television money after the three seasons were over. Today the teams have been in the NBA for years and years. The ABA had an all-star game in 2006 but since 2006 there has been nothing else. There was talk about the D-League being renamed the ABA but that is no longer