I was a ballboy for the ABA Memphis PROS, TAMS, & SOUNDS. I only missed one home game in 4 yrs. Can you imagine the wonderful memories I have. I also got to work 2 Harlem Globetrotter and one pre-season Boston Celtic game.

Roger Brown is considered the greatest ABA player by a lot of his own piers. There is a documentary about Roger, from 2014 I believe. In that documentary, they show a still photo of the Pacer legends, and Darnell Hillman is holding an autographed game used ball, that belonged to my step-dad. My mom sold the ball recently, but I still have photo mentioned above. He was a huge ABA Pacer fan, and Darnell ended up working for him at a car dealership.

Doc, Skywalker & Ice then let's go with Moses & The Hawk

Thanks for this. Love Dr J and the ABA. 🤗💜💫✨

Man Dr.J is still the man. And then M. J. HE HAD THE FRO. Man look at his hair and hands.

Yes, loved the ABA.

The ABA did NOT invent the 3 point shot. That innovation goes to the ABL. It was also used in the EPBL and NABL prior to adoption in the ABA. The ABA did introduce the red, white and blue ball.

Mel Daniels wasn't the shot blocker that Bill Russell was but Daniels was a better shooter. As far as other ABA greats go, there was Larry Kenon who was an outstanding NBA player after the merger, Nets guard Brian Taylor, Nets and Spurs center Billy Paultz, Spurs guard James Silas, Stars and Squires Willie Wise, Pacers, Sounds, and Stars guard Roger Brown, Pacers forward George McGinnis, and Nuggets and Colonels center Dan Issel. Dan Issel, Roger Brown, and George McGinnis in my opinion are the best of the rest of this list but of course there are other outstanding ABA players not mentioned by me. Mt favorite player you didn't mention is probably Rger Brown who was. NY city playground legend as well as a great pro player. Of course, Issel and McGinnis had excellent NBA careers as well.

You forgot Roger Brown and George McGinnis

Congrats to the producer of this film. You really captured the "feel" of the ABA, THANKS!

I remember the ABA well especially Dr. J. He's my all time favorite basketball player which means I was tickled pink when my Sixers ended up getting him in 1976. As for the league itself, I'm currently listening to an audio book Loose Balls about the ABA. I'm a fan of rebel leagues being a big fan of the ABA, WHA, and original USFL. The WFL wasn't around long enough to get attached to it. Oh, you mentioned the Nuggets using Bobby Jones to try to neutralize Doc, Dr. J and Bobby Jones would become very close friends and ended up winning a NBA title together for the Sixers in 1983.

RIP George McGinnis, former Indiana Pacer!❤

Yes more on ABA others not on list Beaty, Wise and Issel

My ABA best starting 5 would be: To begin with I'd have to say, any list that doesn't have him on it I couldn't even consider a serious list, the greatest ABA player of all-time, Julius 'Dr.J.' Erving, George McGuinness(who we just very recently sadly lost), David Thompson, Dan Issel, & The 'Iceman' George Gervin. My 6th man depending on what position I needed a 6th man in the most would be (guard)-Louis Dampier, the league's all-time leading scorer. (Forward)-Darnell Hillman, and (Center)-Artis Gilmore.

In the mid 1970s the NBA and ABA played 2 all star games, both won by the NBA. And Wilt schooled Artis Gilmore, but he still showed promise.

Great video! I love hearing about NBA history. Rick Barry was so good it's insane. I'd say he deserves to be top 30 to 20 all time.

Great video, but Dan Issel has to be on the list of greatest players of the ABA. He was truly one of the best scorers and rebounders in the league. He even finished his career in fourth place all time in scoring (both ABA & NBA) behind only Kareem, Wilt and Dr. J. I'm just glad you started out with David Thompson and had Artist Gilmore on your list. Artist was my favorite player growing up (with David and Dan right behind him). I grew up in Denver and remember the great team we had. I was also a huge Kentucky fan, having been born there (but moved to Denver when I was a baby). Really though Denver would win that last championship. After all, in the final ABA all-star game it was the all-stars vs Denver Nuggets...and the Nuggets won.

Maurice Lucas.

This is a fantastic video. Thanks for posting this......I was a huge fan of Billy Keller and John Roche

Very good & informative video I thoroughly enjoyed it I was born in the 1960s & grew up in the 70s remember & enjoy the history thank you .

YOUNG MAN ,IAM AGE 65...I WAS A ABA FAN FOR ITS INTIRITY....YOU PUT TOGETHER A ACCURECT HISTORY OF THE LEAUGE....THANK YOU

This channel fr needs at least 100k subs for such good content. Keep it up 💪

Dan Issel? this forward wasn't flashy, but think of him as similar to Rick Barry ABA/John Havlicek ABA champion (1975) NBA All-Star (1977) 6× ABA All-Star (1971-1976) ABA All-Star Game MVP (1972) All-ABA First Team (1972) 4× All-ABA Second Team (1971, 1973, 1974, 1976) ABA Rookie of the Year (1971) ABA scoring champion (1971) J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award (1985) ABA All-Time Team No. 44 retired by Denver Nuggets 1 x NBA All-Star 76-77 (not sure why since he avg'd 20 ppg for years during his seven yrs in the NBA ) 15K points ABA and 25 ppg, 12K points NBA and 21 ppg, 27,482 total points, averaged 78 games per season but Dan is never talked about WFT!

Julius was the greatest ABA player ever. It's not even close. Loved Roger Brown, David Thompson, Billy Cunningham, Rick Barry, Larry Kenon, Dan Issel, and (most of all) Connie Hawkins. But Julius WAS the league. Spencer Haywood was the most important player (besides Doc). Because of him, the NBA started signing underclassmen. Hawkins was a very old 27 when he finally beat the NBA in court and get into the league. The ABA didn't have a lot of big men. The one truly big man who was a pure center (unlike Issel and Cunningham) was Artis Gilmore. Gilmore was the strongest man in the league (and second-strongest man ever to play in the NBA. Hold on, Barry didn't sit because of "a clause in his contract." He sat because of the dreaded Reserve Clause, which was in EVERY player's contract, not just Barry's. It's the same thing that kept Wilt from playing for San Diego. Also, the implication that "he shot them like this (Barry's free throws) makes it sound like it was a handicap. Barry was a great free throw shooter BECAUSE he mastered the underhand style. The CBA was NOT "semi-pro." It was a professional league, originally known as the Eastern League. Using Bill Russell as an archetype for Mel Daniels seems fair. Yes, Doc was the most exciting player ever. EVER. But what was really great about Julius was how much impact he'd have on a game without making spectacular plays. He'd pop a mid-range jumper off the glass late in the game and you'd suddenly realize he had 30-something--without you even noticing. Let's not get carried away with the totality of Gilmore's contract. Like many of the contracts given those days, it was based on the Dolgoff Plan--where a lot of the money was deferred. The up-front money was nowhere close to what was announced, but players (for the most part) saw that money eventually. But the time-value of money means those payments were worth a lot less. Go read "Loose Balls" by Terry Pluto for an oral history of the ABA. The best book ever written about the league.

What about Moses Malone!

Roger Brown needs to be included in your list. Nice video though.

Very entertaining video. You did a great job.

Mel Daniels and the Pacers were basically the ABA version of Bill Russell and the 1960s Celtics

Saw many of these games as a kid and loved every minute of the ABA games. Best player I ever saw in the ABA was Connie Hawkins (Pittsburgh Pipers). Great book on Connie 'Foul! The Connie Hawkins Story' by David Wolf - highly recommended...

George mgginnis was a big name in the aba. Also Dan issell.

1:10 The NBA hated to admit that after the first 2-3 years, the ABA had reached parity with them - any by 4-5 years BEFORE the merger was the superior league overall.

Super John Williamson (RIP) was a lot better than his stat sheet. When he was hot, he was nuclear! I lived in the NY area and could watch the ABA Nets. That was a great team. I tell youngsters that they only have seen half of Dr. J in Philly. Brian Taylor, Super John, Larry Kenon, and Dr. J. were a tough team.

David thompson.

I knew Dr. J not from basketball, although i definitely knew he was a pro hooper, this being because I wouldn't get into sports till the early 80s, but J transcended the sport and was just in the zeighest. For me, it was his image and cartoon likeness plastered in every ad section from mid to late 70s Marvel comics along with Rick Berry (and Evel Knievel). In the late 80s, we used to explain to kids even then who J and Berry were and like by saying they were the Jordan and Bird of their day.

Howz about Marvin "News" Barnes (St. Louis) and Ralph Simpson (Denver)?! RIP, Marvin

Hey how about a video of high flyer David Thompson and Monte Towe?

You left out ABA greats and future NBA hall of famers Moses Malone, Dan Issel and, although you briefly mentioned him as defending Dr. J, Bobby Jones.

the pistol

RICK BARRY MAYBE THE MOST UNDERRATED SUPERSTAR OF ALL TIME! A OFFENSIVE JUGGERNAUT!!! ONE OF THE MOST EXPLOSIVE PLAYERS EVER. SCORING TITLES IN COLLEGE, ABA, & THE NBA, HE HAD A 40 POINT AVERAGE IN THE 1974-75 GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS CHAMPIONSHIP. YOU COULDN'T GUARD HIM, A GREAT PASSER, THE MOST UNIQUE FREE THROWS EVER, HE PLAYED HARD & PASSIONATE & A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH EVERYTIME HE TOOK THE COURT, PEOPLE THROW POLITICS & OTHER FACTORS IN THERE WHICH YOU CAN DO WITH THE MAJORITY OF PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS, BUT JUST BASKETBALL ITSELF, RICK BARRY IS ONE OF THE BEST, OF COURSE TOO 50 NBA PLAYERS OF ALL TIME & THEY BEAT THE OVERWHELMING FAVORITES WASHINGTON BULLETS 4-0 WHEN IT WAS PREDICTED THE WARRIORS WOULD LOSE 4-0 TO THE WASHINGTON BULLETS, RICK BARRY WAS THE MOTOR, HI OCTANE THEY HAD NO ANSWER FOR!!! SO DID OTHER TEAMS, UNSTOPPABLE IN HIS PRIME!!!

Oh shit face reveal?

Dan Issel where is him?

You should have at least given a shout out to Dan Issel of the Kentucky Colonels. Rookie of the Year in 1971 and a 6x all star.

Doc

Congrats to the producer of this film. You really captured the "feel" of the ABA, THANKS!