If you’re like me, you’re old enough to recall the American Basketball Association. There was no team in New England and there was little, if any, TV coverage, but the upstart league which was born on February 2, 1967, changed basketball in many ways. The ABA brought us the New Jersey Nets, the Denver Nuggets, the Indiana Pacers and the San Antonio Spurs. The three-point shot and the slam dunk contest also originated there. Some ABA innovations like the red, white and blue basketball and red and white striped jerseys for referees, mercifully met their end along with the league.

The ABA wikipedia page lists all the franchises and many of the leagues greatest players which includes names you most certainly would recognize: Julius Erving, Rick Barry, Marvin Barnes, George Gervin, Artis Gilmore, Spencer Haywood, Moses Malone, David Thompson, Larry Brown and Dug Moe.

The following video is 9 minutes long but if you have any interest in basketball, it’s well worth watching:

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