1967–68 ABA season
Encyclopedia
The 1967–68 ABA season was the first season for the American Basketball Association
. The ABA was challenging the National Basketball Association
. The ABA introduced a red, white and blue basketball. They also used a 30 second shot clock as opposed to the NBA's 24 second shot clock. The ABA also used the three-point shot
. There were 11 teams playing in the first season of the league, with each team playing a 78-game schedule.
, a former National Basketball Association
star best known for his career with the Minneapolis Lakers, was named as the league's first commissioner, saying that the ABA would avoid raiding the players from the NBA as the upstart league as it wanted to avoid legal issues relating to the reserve clause
and hoped to avoid creating a bidding war for talent that would make player salaries unaffordable. Despite that, The New York Times
reported that tentative offers had been made to Oscar Robertson
and Wilt Chamberlain
, who was offered a contract that would pay him $50,000 (half of what he was making with the Philadelphia 76ers
) along with a 20% share of the team that started play as the New Jersey Americans
.
By April 1967, the league announced that they would begin play for the 1967–68 season with 11 teams in two divisions. The Eastern Division would include teams representing Indianapolis, Indiana
, Louisville, Kentucky
, New York City
, Minneapolis and Pittsburgh, while the Western division would be made up of Anaheim, California
, Dallas, Denver, Houston, New Orleans and Oakland. Each team owner made a commitment that they would have the resources to run for at least three years on annual budgets of $500,000 and would be able to absorb any financial losses during that period.
With the first pick in the league's inaugural draft in April 1967, Indianapolis chose Jimmy Walker
, who had been a collegiate All-American at Providence College
, where his 30.4 points per game led all major college players. Walker was also the first pick in the 1967 NBA Draft
by the Detroit Pistons
and ended up playing his entire career in the NBA. Among its picks, New Orleans selected pole vault
er Bob Seagren
"because he is a great athlete and we think he can play pro basketball", despite the fact that he had never played basketball at the college level. The 11 teams selected a total of 130 players.
In June 1967, Rick Barry
left the San Francisco Warriors
where he had been the league's leading scorer to sign with Oakland, making him the seventh player and the first superstar to defect from the NBA to the upstart league. The three-year contract offer from Pat Boone
, the singer and team owner, was estimated to be worth $500,000, with Barry saying "the offer Oakland made me was one I simply couldn't turn down" and that it would make him one of basketball's highest-paid players. However, in August a superior court judge upheld the reserve clause in Barry's contract and ruled that Barry was obligated to play for the Warriors or else he would have to sit out for the entire season. Barry ultimately chose to sit out for the year, rather than play for San Francisco.
Mikan unveiled the league's distinctive red, white and blue official ball in August, calling it "a patriotic ball" and saying that it would be more appealing visually on television.
defeated the Anaheim Amigos
by a score of 134–129 in the league's inaugural game in front of 4,828 fans at the Oakland Arena
on October 13, 1967. Oakland's Andy Anderson was high scorer with 33 points and Les Selvage
hit four three-point field goal
s.
The league's first all-star game
was played in Indianapolis on January 9, 1968 at Hinkle Fieldhouse
. Coach Jim Pollard of the Minnesota Muskies
led the East to a 126–120 win over the West team coached by Babe McCarthy
of the New Orleans Buccaneers
. Larry Brown
of the Buccaneers was chosen as the game's Most Valuable Player. The nationally televised game was played in front of 10,872 fans, the largest attendance for any ABA game in Indianapolis as of that date.
At the end of the regular season, the New Jersey Americans
and the Kentucky Colonels
finished the season tied for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Division, with identical 36–42 records. The teams were supposed to play a one-game playoff to determine who would advance to the postseason, which was supposed to be played at the Teaneck Armory
in Teaneck, New Jersey
, home court of the Americans, but could not be played there as the circus was in town and had the space booked. The team tried to relocate the game to the Long Island Arena
in Commack, New York
, but when the teams arrived, the playing surface was in such poor condition that the Colonels refused to play. Mikan ruled that the Americans had failed to provide acceptable playing facilities and forfeited the game to the Colonels, with Kentucky advancing to the divisional semifinals.
of the Western Division, and each won their respective division titles and won both divisional playoff rounds to advance to the league championship. In the seventh and deciding game, the Pipers defeated the Buccaneers by a score of 122–113 to take the first league championship, with Charlie Williams
scoring a gime high 35 points to lead the hometown Pipers in front of 11,475 fans.
C – ABA Champions
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...
. The ABA was challenging the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
. The ABA introduced a red, white and blue basketball. They also used a 30 second shot clock as opposed to the NBA's 24 second shot clock. The ABA also used the three-point shot
Three-point field goal
A three-point field goal is a field goal in a basketball game, made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc radiating from the basket...
. There were 11 teams playing in the first season of the league, with each team playing a 78-game schedule.
History
George MikanGeorge Mikan
George Lawrence Mikan, Jr. , nicknamed Mr. Basketball, was an American professional basketball player for the Chicago American Gears of the National Basketball League and the Minneapolis Lakers of the NBL, the Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball Association...
, a former National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
star best known for his career with the Minneapolis Lakers, was named as the league's first commissioner, saying that the ABA would avoid raiding the players from the NBA as the upstart league as it wanted to avoid legal issues relating to the reserve clause
Reserve clause
The reserve clause is a term formerly employed in North American professional sports contracts. The reserve clause, contained in all standard player contracts, stated that, upon the contract's expiration the rights to the player were to be retained by the team to which he had been signed...
and hoped to avoid creating a bidding war for talent that would make player salaries unaffordable. Despite that, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
reported that tentative offers had been made to Oscar Robertson
Oscar Robertson
Oscar Palmer Robertson , nicknamed "The Big O", is a former American NBA player with the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks...
and Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain
Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain was an American professional NBA basketball player for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers; he also played for the Harlem Globetrotters prior to playing in the NBA...
, who was offered a contract that would pay him $50,000 (half of what he was making with the Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
) along with a 20% share of the team that started play as the New Jersey Americans
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
.
By April 1967, the league announced that they would begin play for the 1967–68 season with 11 teams in two divisions. The Eastern Division would include teams representing Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Minneapolis and Pittsburgh, while the Western division would be made up of Anaheim, California
Anaheim, California
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
, Dallas, Denver, Houston, New Orleans and Oakland. Each team owner made a commitment that they would have the resources to run for at least three years on annual budgets of $500,000 and would be able to absorb any financial losses during that period.
With the first pick in the league's inaugural draft in April 1967, Indianapolis chose Jimmy Walker
Jimmy Walker (basketball)
James "Jimmy" Walker was an American professional basketball player. A 6'3" guard, he played nine seasons in the NBA as a member of the Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, and Kansas City Kings. Walker was a two-time All-Star who scored 11,655 points in his career...
, who had been a collegiate All-American at Providence College
Providence College
Providence College is a private, coeducational, Catholic university located about two miles west of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, United States, the state's capital city. With a 2010–2011 enrollment of 3,850 undergraduate students and 735 graduate students, the College specializes in academic...
, where his 30.4 points per game led all major college players. Walker was also the first pick in the 1967 NBA Draft
1967 NBA Draft
The 1967 NBA Draft was the 21st annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on May 3, 1967 before the 1967–68 season. In this draft, 12 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players. A player who had finished his four-year college eligibility...
by the Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
and ended up playing his entire career in the NBA. Among its picks, New Orleans selected pole vault
Pole vault
Pole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole as an aid to leap over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Cretans and Celts...
er Bob Seagren
Bob Seagren
Robert "Bob" Seagren was an American pole vaulter, the 1968 Olympic champion.A native of Pomona, California, Bob Seagren was one of the world's top pole vaulters in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He won six National AAU and four NCAA titles indoors and outdoors. Indoors he posted eight world...
"because he is a great athlete and we think he can play pro basketball", despite the fact that he had never played basketball at the college level. The 11 teams selected a total of 130 players.
In June 1967, Rick Barry
Rick Barry
Richard Francis Dennis Barry III , better known as Rick Barry, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is considered by many veteran basketball observers to be one of the greatest pure small forwards of all time as a result of his very precise outside shot, uncanny court vision,...
left the San Francisco Warriors
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
where he had been the league's leading scorer to sign with Oakland, making him the seventh player and the first superstar to defect from the NBA to the upstart league. The three-year contract offer from Pat Boone
Pat Boone
Charles Eugene "Pat" Boone is an American singer, actor and writer who has been a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He covered black artists' songs and sold more copies than his black counterparts...
, the singer and team owner, was estimated to be worth $500,000, with Barry saying "the offer Oakland made me was one I simply couldn't turn down" and that it would make him one of basketball's highest-paid players. However, in August a superior court judge upheld the reserve clause in Barry's contract and ruled that Barry was obligated to play for the Warriors or else he would have to sit out for the entire season. Barry ultimately chose to sit out for the year, rather than play for San Francisco.
Mikan unveiled the league's distinctive red, white and blue official ball in August, calling it "a patriotic ball" and saying that it would be more appealing visually on television.
Regular season
The Oakland OaksOakland Oaks (ABA)
The Oakland Oaks were a charter member of the original American Basketball Association. Formed in February 1967 as the Oakland Americans, the team changed its name to the Oaks prior to play that fall. Playing in the ABA during the 1967-68 and 1968-69 seasons, the team colors were green and gold.The...
defeated the Anaheim Amigos
Anaheim Amigos
The Anaheim Amigos/Los Angeles Stars were an American Basketball Association team based in Southern California. They were the Amigos during their first season in Anaheim and later moved to Los Angeles to become the Stars...
by a score of 134–129 in the league's inaugural game in front of 4,828 fans at the Oakland Arena
Oakland Arena
The Oracle is an indoor arena, in Oakland, California, located in the Coliseum Industrial area...
on October 13, 1967. Oakland's Andy Anderson was high scorer with 33 points and Les Selvage
Les Selvage
Lester Revell Selvage was an American professional basketball player.A 6'1" guard from Beaumont High School in St. Louis, Missouri, Selvage played college basketball at Kirksville State Teachers College . He was named to the All-MIAA First Team in 1963...
hit four three-point field goal
Three-point field goal
A three-point field goal is a field goal in a basketball game, made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc radiating from the basket...
s.
The league's first all-star game
1968 ABA All-Star Game
GAME 1: at Indianapolis, Indiana, January 9, 1968MVP: Larry Brown, New Orleans BuccaneersCoaches:* East: Jim Pollard, Minnesota Muskies* West: Babe McCarthy, New Orleans Buccaneers-Western Conference: -Eastern Conference: -Score by Periods:...
was played in Indianapolis on January 9, 1968 at Hinkle Fieldhouse
Hinkle Fieldhouse
Hinkle Fieldhouse is a basketball arena located on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana. When it was built in 1928, it was the largest basketball arena in the United States, and it retained that distinction until 1950. It is the sixth-oldest college basketball arena still in...
. Coach Jim Pollard of the Minnesota Muskies
Minnesota Muskies
The Minnesota Muskies were a charter member of the American Basketball Association, born with the league's creation on February 2, 1967. L.P. Shields and Fred Jefferson bought in to create the franchise for $30,000...
led the East to a 126–120 win over the West team coached by Babe McCarthy
Babe McCarthy
James Harrison "Babe" McCarthy , sometimes called "Ol' Magnolia Mouth" or just "Magnolia Mouth", was an American professional and collegiate basketball coach. McCarthy was originally from Baldwyn, Mississippi...
of the New Orleans Buccaneers
New Orleans Buccaneers
New Orleans Buccaneers was a charter member of the American Basketball Association. After three seasons in New Orleans, Louisiana the franchise moved to Memphis, Tennessee where it became the Pros, Tams and Sounds for four years before an abortive move to Baltimore in 1975.-Origins:With the...
. Larry Brown
Larry Brown (basketball)
Lawrence Harvey "Larry" Brown is an American basketball coach and former player. He most recently served as head coach of the National Basketball Association's Charlotte Bobcats....
of the Buccaneers was chosen as the game's Most Valuable Player. The nationally televised game was played in front of 10,872 fans, the largest attendance for any ABA game in Indianapolis as of that date.
At the end of the regular season, the New Jersey Americans
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and the Kentucky Colonels
Kentucky Colonels
The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of any franchise in the league's history, but the team did...
finished the season tied for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Division, with identical 36–42 records. The teams were supposed to play a one-game playoff to determine who would advance to the postseason, which was supposed to be played at the Teaneck Armory
Teaneck Armory
Teaneck Armory at 1799 Teaneack Road is an armory and arena located on a site in Teaneck, New Jersey. A facility of the New Jersey National Guard, it is home to the Soccer Coliseum.-History:...
in Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, and a suburb in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 39,776, making it the second-most populous among the 70 municipalities in Bergen County....
, home court of the Americans, but could not be played there as the circus was in town and had the space booked. The team tried to relocate the game to the Long Island Arena
Long Island Arena
Long Island Arena was a 4,000-seat indoor arena in Commack, New York from 1959 until 1996. The Long Island Ducks of the Eastern Hockey League, a popular team in the small community, called the Arena home from 1959 until the league folded in 1973, one year after the New York Islanders came into...
in Commack, New York
Commack, New York
Commack is a census-designated place that roughly corresponds to the hamlet by the same name in the towns of Huntington and Smithtown in Suffolk County, New York, United States on Long Island...
, but when the teams arrived, the playing surface was in such poor condition that the Colonels refused to play. Mikan ruled that the Americans had failed to provide acceptable playing facilities and forfeited the game to the Colonels, with Kentucky advancing to the divisional semifinals.
Playoffs
The top seeds in each division during the regular season were the Eastern Division Pittsburgh Pipers and the New Orleans BuccaneersNew Orleans Buccaneers
New Orleans Buccaneers was a charter member of the American Basketball Association. After three seasons in New Orleans, Louisiana the franchise moved to Memphis, Tennessee where it became the Pros, Tams and Sounds for four years before an abortive move to Baltimore in 1975.-Origins:With the...
of the Western Division, and each won their respective division titles and won both divisional playoff rounds to advance to the league championship. In the seventh and deciding game, the Pipers defeated the Buccaneers by a score of 122–113 to take the first league championship, with Charlie Williams
Charlie Williams (basketball)
Charles E. "Charlie" Williams is a former professional basketball player. A 6’0” guard from Stadium High School and Seattle University, he played in the American Basketball Association in the late 1960s and early 1970s...
scoring a gime high 35 points to lead the hometown Pipers in front of 11,475 fans.
Eastern Division
| Team | W | L | PCT. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Pipers C | 54 | 24 | .692 | – |
| Minnesota Muskies Minnesota Muskies The Minnesota Muskies were a charter member of the American Basketball Association, born with the league's creation on February 2, 1967. L.P. Shields and Fred Jefferson bought in to create the franchise for $30,000... |
50 | 28 | .641 | 4 |
| Indiana Pacers Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association... |
38 | 40 | .487 | 16 |
| Kentucky Colonels Kentucky Colonels The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of any franchise in the league's history, but the team did... |
36 | 42 | .462 | 18 |
| New Jersey Americans New Jersey Nets The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association... |
36 | 42 | .462 | 18 |
Western Division
| Team | W | L | PCT. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans Buccaneers New Orleans Buccaneers New Orleans Buccaneers was a charter member of the American Basketball Association. After three seasons in New Orleans, Louisiana the franchise moved to Memphis, Tennessee where it became the Pros, Tams and Sounds for four years before an abortive move to Baltimore in 1975.-Origins:With the... |
48 | 30 | .615 | – |
| Dallas Chaparrals Dallas Chaparrals The Dallas Chaparrals were a charter member of the American Basketball Association, later becoming the San Antonio Spurs and joining the NBA.The team suffered from poor attendance and general disinterest in Dallas... |
46 | 32 | .590 | 2 |
| Denver Rockets | 45 | 33 | .577 | 3 |
| Houston Mavericks Houston Mavericks The Houston Mavericks were a charter member of the American Basketball Association. They played in the upstart league's first two seasons, from 1967 to 1969. Their home arena was the Sam Houston Coliseum... |
29 | 49 | .372 | 19 |
| Anaheim Amigos Anaheim Amigos The Anaheim Amigos/Los Angeles Stars were an American Basketball Association team based in Southern California. They were the Amigos during their first season in Anaheim and later moved to Los Angeles to become the Stars... |
25 | 53 | .321 | 23 |
| Oakland Oaks Oakland Oaks (ABA) The Oakland Oaks were a charter member of the original American Basketball Association. Formed in February 1967 as the Oakland Americans, the team changed its name to the Oaks prior to play that fall. Playing in the ABA during the 1967-68 and 1968-69 seasons, the team colors were green and gold.The... |
22 | 56 | .282 | 26 |
C – ABA Champions