Big fan of the ABA.....long live the legend of the ABA...I would love to see the NBA use the ABA basketball during their all star game..KEEP the memory alive...peace....
Me and 88 other fans attended the final game in Houston Mavericks history. Beat the Nets 149-132. The crowd was deafening. Yep, just another great moment in ABA history.
I live in San Diego and grew up watching all these dudes come through San Diego to play the Conquistadors! Zelmo Beaty, Willie Wise, George McInnis, Dan Issel, Mack Calvin, Warren Jabali, Billy Cunningham, Louie Dampier and on and on and on...saw them all from the front row in San Diego. I saw them often at my dad's restaurant. What a great time.
Great download- exquisite quality on this 1973 footage. Just wish we had more complete games from the ABA during this time. I think the NBA has more ABA footage- wish they would make it available for sale - put it on I-Tunes for 3.99 a game or something.
I love this. In highschool in my sophomore year in 1975 we had a intramural basketball league. It became full QUICK and no one else could join. So about 3 guys came together and started another league, with less teams, in our highschools OTHER gym( on the top floor of our highschool, because it had 7 floors like a office bldg. We used the ABA colored ball LOL It was classic! Awe man is was too cool. WE HAD GUYS from the other intramural league TRYING TO JUMP TO "OUR" league. It was crazy. ABA vs NBA. I LOVED THE EARLY 70'S and the ABA.
The Iceman wasn't yet an ABA All Star when this game was played. You won't find him in these highlights, as he was just beginning to blossom as a pro with the Virginia Squires.
My best friend and I met Zelmo Beaty at Lenny Wilkens Basketball Camp in 1977 and after giving us his autograph, I said, “Thanks. you made our day!” And Zelmo said, “You made my day, boys!”
Zelmo is no longer with us, but had a reputation of being a very good person. He played with Lenny on the St. Louis Hawks. If you interacted with Lenny, that was one of the few guys in the HOF as both a player and a coach. Wilkens has always been a devout Catholic, and during a law school a classmate reached out to him at Mass - "Peace be with you, Coach Lenny."
@@ericlyons4413 Darnell taught Dr. J had to blow out his Afro. Also, his dramatic dunking belied the fact Darnell had been in the military as a draftee.
Big fan of the ABA! If they could've gotten a substantial T.V. contract, plus that Damn reserve clause held up a lot of NBA players who wanted to jump to the ABA, the Oscar Robertson case that held up the proposed merger, and stubborn NBA owners who sabotaged the ABA..if it weren't for those factors, either the ABA would've been a permanent second league or the NBA would've taken all the remaining ABA teams. Just like the NFL-AFL merger.
The current NBA is what the ABA was decades ago -- 3-point and slam-dunk contests. Except with rest management and a few more zeroes on the player contracts, of course. #NoThanks
Jabali!! Played with and against him at University of Miami in 1978 and 1979 after he retired. Obviously a great player even after sever back and knee injuries. But more importantly, a good guy that did a lot for the Miami community. He had an unjust rep earlier in hid pro career. But was treated with prejudice, so he should have been angry. A God in Miami after the ABA and so underrated in Ball an in Life. Who cares though? he was a good guy that helped a lot of kids.
I'm pleased to learn that Jabali seems to have resolved his anger management issues after retiring from basketball and glad that he has helped kids since then. But, please don't say that he has an "unjust rep" early in his career. He was a very talented but justified head case disliked by almost the entire league. Great to learn from reading Terry Pluto's great book "Loose Balls" that Neil Johnson put him in his place with one punch.
Pluto has some bias issues. Good book but you couldn’t interview any Spurs player except John Lopez, writer? He left out the story of Charlie Scott getting brutalized by cops after a brawl in Indiana. Head case? He was a perennial All-star till next to his last year. The protest at the ‘74 All-Star game sealed his fate. I donn’t blame him, ABA owners ran their business like Harry Cohn did for Columbia pictures, very racist in practice with exceptions.
@@davanmani556 Fist time I've heard that Terry Pluto has some "bias issues". Perhaps Pluto just has a problem with players who intentionally step on an opponent's head when that opponent is lying on the court, as Jabali did. He was a talented racist and head case.
@@trapezemusic just know that every African-American player in the league swore by Jabali as a proud man who didn't take the racism of the era lightly and there was a ton of it. Re-read Loose Balls and you'll see the bias VERY clearly....
Notice the play is a lot more intense than contemporary all Star games. The guys really tried back then. Now, the potential for injury and games featuring all the players are an everyday thing.
Thats all right hope the aba players who are still alive get that money that was to be given too The as well as family members of the one's whos no longer with us all who had some thing to do with the aba they played hard
Tough to understand how Ralph Simpson fell off so much in NBA. One of the top ABA guards at Denver. Size, speed, shooting/scoring, could pass, handle. Did it all in ABA.
I love the ABA.... But at 6:02 “fakery in serpentine motion.”… 6:21 “a blob of medicated goo.” Wording like that is why Robert Halsband (credited as the writer of this video) was never known as a great sportswriter.
The Pacers were my team but you have to throw in Kentucky and Utah. I would throw the Nets in too except they were great for three years, and they lost to the 32-win Spirits in '75. Denver was good but never won a title and Dallas/San Antonio never did much in the postseason.
@@ericlyons4413 Ok, I will give a little love to Kentucky. Indiana - Kentucky battles in all sports is a fierce rivalry. The ABA was a major influence of modern NBA play.
@@RobC41 I was Pacers all the way. But I always loved watching them play Kentucky and Utah. And there was nothing better than a George McGinnis-Julius Erving matchup.
It's logical if a league wants to avoid blow outs, and a game dominated by 7 footers. It's also a faster game amongst all the teams. Like the NFL, it's all about scoring for drama.
Nah. The playoff-level ABA teams (Kentucky, Denver, Indiana, the Nets) would have been competitive in the NBA. The bad ABA teams were horrible. But let's also remember 1973 was the year the 76ers went 9-73.
At the beginning sure. But as the years went by, the gap shrunk to the point where the best ABA teams were the best pro teams. Those final NY Nets could beat any NBA team.
Are you kidding?? Look how well the Pacers, Nuggets, and Spurs did the season after the merger. Look how many ABA players were in the All-Star game that season.
Big fan of the ABA.....long live the legend of the ABA...I would love to see the NBA use the ABA basketball during their all star game..KEEP the memory alive...peace....
Yes The ABA was cool.
@@randquadrozzi5850 your statement is so true.....ABA!!!!!!!
Me and 88 other fans attended the final game in Houston Mavericks history. Beat the Nets 149-132. The crowd was deafening. Yep, just another great moment in ABA history.
hope more of the great ABA games become available what great players and memories
I live in San Diego and grew up watching all these dudes come through San Diego to play the Conquistadors! Zelmo Beaty, Willie Wise, George McInnis, Dan Issel, Mack Calvin, Warren Jabali, Billy Cunningham, Louie Dampier and on and on and on...saw them all from the front row in San Diego. I saw them often at my dad's restaurant. What a great time.
The Q's!!!!!!
We're u at that classic game between the nets and conquistadors (4 ots),in 1974,,i still remember watching it in New york, I was almost 10 yrs old,,
Jabali later played for the Conquistadors, 1974-75.
Oh, so YOU were the person in the front row . . .
ABA forever
Great download- exquisite quality on this 1973 footage. Just wish we had more complete games from the ABA during this time. I think the NBA has more ABA footage- wish they would make it available for sale - put it on I-Tunes for 3.99 a game or something.
I love this. In highschool in my sophomore year in 1975 we had a intramural basketball league. It became full QUICK and no one else could join. So about 3 guys came together and started another league, with less teams, in our highschools OTHER gym( on the top floor of our highschool, because it had 7 floors like a office bldg. We used the ABA colored ball LOL It was classic!
Awe man is was too cool.
WE HAD GUYS from the other intramural league TRYING TO JUMP TO "OUR" league. It was crazy.
ABA vs NBA. I LOVED THE EARLY 70'S and the ABA.
this was great I remember seeing it in tv.Big George Mcginnis.Julius Erving,Bill Cunningham,The Iceman loved it.
The Iceman wasn't yet an ABA All Star when this game was played. You won't find him in these highlights, as he was just beginning to blossom as a pro with the Virginia Squires.
@@OBESPRING1982 he became one soon though.
@@Amick44 True dat
@@OBESPRING1982 and he was not really The Iceman yet. He was Iceberg Slim.
@@ericlyons4413 Said 'Fatty' Taylor
great aba all star 1973 .erving, mcginis, jabbali,simpson,gilmore,calvin, excellent aba players, fantastic video.aba saved nba
It's really cool that three former ABA players ended up with the Sixer's and won an NBA championship (Dr.J, B. Jones, and B. Cunningham).
JL and Moses!
Cunningham began his career with the Sixers before he jumped leagues.
Moses Malone also
Very competitive action during this game as opposed to today's current All Star games where defense isn't played much
My best friend and I met Zelmo Beaty at Lenny Wilkens Basketball Camp in 1977 and after giving us his autograph, I said, “Thanks. you made our day!” And Zelmo said, “You made my day, boys!”
I tagged alongside Dr. Dunk... Darnell Hillman...one week at a Purdue camp when I was a kid. He told some cool stories.
Awesome. Those meetings and photo ops were so important growing up. I still love meeting my childhood heroes.
Big Z made a great career move -- good NBA player in his prime, very good ABA player as a geezer.
Zelmo is no longer with us, but had a reputation of being a very good person. He played with Lenny on the St. Louis Hawks. If you interacted with Lenny, that was one of the few guys in the HOF as both a player and a coach. Wilkens has always been a devout Catholic, and during a law school a classmate reached out to him at Mass - "Peace be with you, Coach Lenny."
@@ericlyons4413 Darnell taught Dr. J had to blow out his Afro. Also, his dramatic dunking belied the fact Darnell had been in the military as a draftee.
I wish NBA would play this type of defense in the All Star games.
Dan Issel and artis gilmore were on the Kentucky Col,team
Greatest basketball league ever
❤ aba basketball 🏀
I loved it! ABA forever
Great memories watching these dudes..
Big fan of the ABA! If they could've gotten a substantial T.V. contract, plus that Damn reserve clause held up a lot of NBA players who wanted to jump to the ABA, the Oscar Robertson case that held up the proposed merger, and stubborn NBA owners who sabotaged the ABA..if it weren't for those factors, either the ABA would've been a permanent second league or the NBA would've taken all the remaining ABA teams. Just like the NFL-AFL merger.
The current NBA is what the ABA was decades ago -- 3-point and slam-dunk contests. Except with rest management and a few more zeroes on the player contracts, of course. #NoThanks
Imagine if Pistol Pete played in the ABA.Showtime for real!
Great post!
Jabali!! Played with and against him at University of Miami in 1978 and 1979 after he retired. Obviously a great player even after sever back and knee injuries. But more importantly, a good guy that did a lot for the Miami community. He had an unjust rep earlier in hid pro career. But was treated with prejudice, so he should have been angry. A God in Miami after the ABA and so underrated in Ball an in Life. Who cares though? he was a good guy that helped a lot of kids.
I'm pleased to learn that Jabali seems to have resolved his anger management issues after retiring from basketball and glad that he has helped kids since then. But, please don't say that he has an "unjust rep" early in his career. He was a very talented but justified head case disliked by almost the entire league. Great to learn from reading Terry Pluto's great book "Loose Balls" that Neil Johnson put him in his place with one punch.
Pluto has some bias issues. Good book but you couldn’t interview any Spurs player except John Lopez, writer? He left out the story of Charlie Scott getting brutalized by cops after a brawl in Indiana. Head case? He was a perennial All-star till next to his last year. The protest at the ‘74 All-Star game sealed his fate. I donn’t blame him, ABA owners ran their business like Harry Cohn did for Columbia pictures, very racist in practice with exceptions.
@@davanmani556 Fist time I've heard that Terry Pluto has some "bias issues". Perhaps Pluto just has a problem with players who intentionally step on an opponent's head when that opponent is lying on the court, as Jabali did. He was a talented racist and head case.
@@trapezemusic just know that every African-American player in the league swore by Jabali as a proud man who didn't take the racism of the era lightly and there was a ton of it. Re-read Loose Balls and you'll see the bias VERY clearly....
@@jasonlevin5378 Sure, and that's why stomping on another player 's head in excusable.
Notice the play is a lot more intense than contemporary all Star games. The guys really tried back then. Now, the potential for injury and games featuring all the players are an everyday thing.
Current all stars are absolute garbage.
AWESOME VIDEO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WISH THERE WERE MORE , JUST LIKE IT !!!!!!!
Love this footage!!!
hope you have highlights from the 1975 ABA All-Star Game played here in San Antonio
When it was still legal to play defense in an all-star game.
Much Gratitude.
Wow I was 2 yrs old then kinngkilo Kevin Williams let's go east
Fantastic upload! Great job
BRING IT BACK!
Thats all right hope the aba players who are still alive get that money that was to be given too The as well as family members of the one's whos no longer with us all who had some thing to do with the aba they played hard
The voice of the late Andy Musser.
I think that's a great idea!!
Tough to understand how Ralph Simpson fell off so much in NBA. One of the top ABA guards at Denver. Size, speed, shooting/scoring, could pass, handle. Did it all in ABA.
He got injured, gained some weight, lost some speed and hops and ended up with some horrible teams. In the early 70s he was awesome.
At least he sired India.Arie.
Easy to explain -- Simpson lit up inferior competition in the ABA. Averaged 8.4 points per game on a .404 field goal percentage in the NBA.
What is this preamble all about? Loved the ABA but wax lyrical much, Mr. Narrator?
Thanks SO much for this! I LOVE the original ABA and can't stand the brown ball league...
Jabali was Kansas City's finest.
Que era la ABA?
1967-1976.
I love the ABA.... But at 6:02 “fakery in serpentine motion.”… 6:21 “a blob of medicated goo.” Wording like that is why Robert Halsband (credited as the writer of this video) was never known as a great sportswriter.
Did NFL Films do this game?
Hey, wait, I thought Whopper Paultz was "a blob of medicated goo"!
@@RayManzarekRocks He fit that description.
Overall, by this time, ABA had better players in the NBA. More entertaining.
When you think of the ABA only one team is on top....Indiana Pacers!
The Pacers were my team but you have to throw in Kentucky and Utah. I would throw the Nets in too except they were great for three years, and they lost to the 32-win Spirits in '75. Denver was good but never won a title and Dallas/San Antonio never did much in the postseason.
@@ericlyons4413 Ok, I will give a little love to Kentucky. Indiana - Kentucky battles in all sports is a fierce rivalry. The ABA was a major influence of modern NBA play.
@@RobC41 I was Pacers all the way. But I always loved watching them play Kentucky and Utah. And there was nothing better than a George McGinnis-Julius Erving matchup.
@@ericlyons4413 o
The ABA made the NBA more popular once the merger happened. It became sports entertainment and really attracted the fans.
too bad the ABA existed. now we're stuck with the 3 pt. shot....the shot that cheapens basketball, that isn't even logical.
It's logical if a league wants to avoid blow outs, and a game dominated by 7 footers. It's also a faster game amongst all the teams. Like the NFL, it's all about scoring for drama.
@@ARIZJOE h6w about 9 pts f6r td's over 5* yds?
Class AAA basketball, second-rate markets, third-rate team owners. #GoodRiddance.
Nah. The playoff-level ABA teams (Kentucky, Denver, Indiana, the Nets) would have been competitive in the NBA. The bad ABA teams were horrible. But let's also remember 1973 was the year the 76ers went 9-73.
RayManzarekRocks you don't know good basketball.
At the beginning sure. But as the years went by, the gap shrunk to the point where the best ABA teams were the best pro teams. Those final NY Nets could beat any NBA team.
Are you kidding?? Look how well the Pacers, Nuggets, and Spurs did the season after the merger. Look how many ABA players were in the All-Star game that season.
@@trapezemusic Forty-three years later, the Nuggets and Pacers still haven't won an NBA title. And it took the Spurs 22 years to win their first one.