-
Robertson v. National Basketball Association
As talks became increasingly speculative around the merger of the NBA and the ABA the NBA Players Association, lead by Oscar Robertson, filed a lawsuit against the league in order to prevent a merger of the leagues to happen. The players saw the two leagues as competing businesses, which also meant that the player's values were much more valubale when the two leagues had to struggle to keep their players. The lawsuit was eventually settled in 1976 and served as an obstacle for the leagues. -
ABA Begins to Push for a Merger
In June of 1970, the owners in the National Basketball Association agreed to vote upon the merger of the NBA with the ABA. With a successful vote of thirteen-to-four, the preliminary plans for a merger were made. The merger was so expected that the ABA had decided to postpone the 1971-1972 season due to the fact that they would have a different schedule in the NBA. -
ABA-NBA All Star Game
The first ABA-NBA was arranged purely in anticipation for the merger of the two leagues. Over sixteen-thousand attended the game in the Astrodome of Houston, Texas where the NBA won a close game 125-120. This game contributed to the interleague play that also began because the game showed how competitive to two league's teams could be. -
First Interleague Game is Played
The first exhibition game between private teams from the ABA and NBA is played between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Dallas Chaparrals. The Bucks, lead by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, narrowly defeated the Chaparrals 106-103. Throughout the following seasons, the ABA tended to win more games than the NBA did, posting a 31-17 record in 1975 in interleague play. -
Congressional Solution to the Merger
The Robertson v. National Basketball Association lawsuit served as a hefty obstacle for the merger and the Congress realized that it was not justifiable to prevent the merger in that way. In September of 1972, the Congress passed a bill that would have allowed the merger; however, the bill was not passed by the Senate. The bill was adjusted and then passed in 1973 only to be denied again by the Senate. Due to the inability to pass the bill, the merger was delayed until the lawsuit was settled. -
San Diego Sails Disband
On November 12, 1975, the San Diego Sails become the first of three teams to fallout before the actual merger of the ABA and NBA. The team struggled with attendance and could not finance a basketball team anymore. They were soon followed by the Baltimore Claws and the Utah Stars as they collapse under the same financial difficulties. -
1976 ABA Dispersal Draft
The ABA Dispersal Draft took place due to the two ABA teams that were not included in the NBA merger. The players of the Kentucky Colonels and the Spirits of St. Louis were eligible to be drafted by each of the NBA teams, but all the players were not. The draft lasted three rounds; however, players were only selected in the first round, with the exception of the first pick in the second round. Notable players in the draft include Hall of Famers Artis Gilmore and Moses Malone. -
First NBA All Star Game Prior to Merger
The first All Star Game of which past ABA players and NBA players were on the same team was played on February 13, 1977. Ten out of the twenty-four players selected were those who entered the league from the ABA, including game MVP Julius Erving. -
Robertson v. NBA Case Decided
The court case between Robertson and the National Basketball Association was settled. The merger was allowed earlier in 1976 because of the forward progress of the court; however, the case was not completely settled until June of 1977. The most influential outcome of the case was that players could now become free agents in exchange for the team's right to match any contract offer that their players may receive in free agency. -
Adoption of Rules into NBA
At the beginning of the 1979-1980 NBA season the league officially adopted the three-point field goal from the orginial ABA rules. Other adoptions include the Slam Dunk Contest, the increased use of the slam dunk in-game, the fast-break offense, and press defense.
