American Basketball Association

The American Basketball Association was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons, from 1967 to 1976, in direct competition with the older National Basketball Association. It began with eleven teams split between Eastern and Western divisions, and George Mikan, its first commissioner, came up with the three-point shot to go with a 30-second shot clock. The league never had a consistent national television contract, but it built loyal followings in markets such as Indianapolis, Denver, San Antonio, Long Island and Kentucky, and the Indiana Pacers won the most championships, three. Stars including Julius Erving, George Gervin, Artis Gilmore and Dan Issel played in it. The ABA merged with the NBA in 1976, bringing the Pacers, Nuggets, Spurs and Nets into the older league, and the final ABA championship was won by the New York Nets over the Denver Nuggets in six games.