All ABA team

[ArtLaibsGhost]

Some of us old guys remember the old ABA, far more entertaining in its time than the current NBA. I would like to hear what you guys would pick for an all ABA team. Mine PG Mack Calvin, played for the Miami Floridians one of the great shooters I ever saw, SG George Gervin( Virginia Squires), SF Julius Erving ( Virginia Squires), PF George McGinnis ( Indiana Pacers) fabulous player, Center Dan Issel( Kentucky Coronels). UK’s best players ever IMO. Honorable mention to Artis Gilmore also a Coronel, with that big Afro he looked 8 feet tall, also Spencer Haywood and Marvin Barnes

 

[SosaUK87]

Dan Issel. All I got.

 

[mpennin3]

Saw a lotta those guys play. Dr. J was really something to watch. Agree with all your guys but I’d put Louie Dampier in there. Watching the rotation on that red, white, and blue ball when he released from deep, I thought every shot was going in. Ron Thomas was a helluva player too. My Dad used to take me to the games at Freedom Hall. I was there the night the kid won the car. A Pacer painted like a big tennis shoe. The Colonels had a helluva run.

 

[Calsarmy]

The Colonels would have beaten most NBA teams back in the day. They were that damn good

 

[TopCatCal]

How about Rick Barry, Moses Malone & David Thompson? The ABA during the 1970's was as good as the NBA.

 

[katwest]

I loved going to see the Colonels play, they were one of the best four teams in the ABA. The entry fee for the NBA was a hundred million I think and John Y Brown and Ellie split up and she didn’t want to put up the other 50 million. The Colonels were a successful franchise and it was very disappointing that they weren’t going to be one of the four ABA teams to merge with the NBA.

 

[VA/UK]

Some of us old guys remember the old ABA, far more entertaining in its time than the current NBA. I would like to hear what you guys would pick for an all ABA team. Mine PG Mack Calvin, played for the Miami Floridians one of the great shooters I ever saw, SG George Gervin( Virginia Squires), SF Julius Erving ( Virginia Squires), PF George McGinnis ( Indiana Pacers) fabulous player, Center Dan Issel( Kentucky Coronels). UK’s best players ever IMO. Honorable mention to Artis Gilmore also a Coronel, with that big Afro he looked 8 feet tall, also Spencer Haywood and Marvin Barnes

A flash in the pan in the ABA, but I’d mention Jim McDaniels.

 

[ArcadiaFan]

Warren Jabali.

 

[gojvc]

Some of us old guys remember the old ABA, far more entertaining in its time than the current NBA. I would like to hear what you guys would pick for an all ABA team. Mine PG Mack Calvin, played for the Miami Floridians one of the great shooters I ever saw, SG George Gervin( Virginia Squires), SF Julius Erving ( Virginia Squires), PF George McGinnis ( Indiana Pacers) fabulous player, Center Dan Issel( Kentucky Coronels). UK’s best players ever IMO. Honorable mention to Artis Gilmore also a Coronel, with that big Afro he looked 8 feet tall, also Spencer Haywood and Marvin Barnes

I still have game programs from the 1975 ABA Playoffs.

 

[Deli owl]

Artis Gilmore

 

[TeoJ]

Wendell PLAYMATE Ladner

 

[katwest]

Charlie Scott was a bad dude too, Wendell Ladner crashed more water coolers than any player ever. No team had a better front line than Issel, Gilmore and Maurice Lucas, the Colonels had, an enforcer, scorer and shot blocking giant with those three.

 

[JJ IN FLA]

Roger Brown, Pacers. Best 1 on 1 player in the game. Banned from NBA for I believe Gambling issues.

 

[TheOtherGreatOne]

Don't forget Connie Hawkins Also how about Wally Zerbiak's dad Walt. Marvin mafia an wana be Barnes. Pete Maravich's college teamates Danny Hester, and Bill Newton. Drake's own Bob Netolicky. Larry special K Keynon,who got torched in the ncaa championship game by Bill Walton's 44 points. Kennon was a good player though. Walton scorched several players during his college days. Walton and Alcindor made John Wooden a legend. Sam Gilbert should have made Wooden a criminal, but for some reason everyone was scared to death to do that. I am not afraid to say it. John Wooden never won a championship without cheating. Wooden did more cheating than Bruce Pearl or any of the cheating coaches people on here keep giving hell. Wooden cheated more than any of them.

 

[DWDwildcat47]

I got to see a lot of those games back then my brother had box seats, I was in my early 20's. The single best player in all of pro basketball then was Dr.J, he was Jordon before Jordon , he singlehandedly kept the league afloat, It's hard to name all time team but here goes DrJ, Artis. Gilmore,. George Gervin, Roger Brown, Connie Hawkins, Dan Issel, David Thompson, George McGinnis, Charlie Scott, Louie Dampier, Rick Barry, it's impossible to choose just 5 players. For those who never saw or vaguely remember there's a great book written about the ABA called Loose Balls, also a ESPN documentary titled The life and times of the ABA.

 

[rick64]

Julius Erving
Dan Issel
Louie Dampier
Artis Gilmore
George Gervin

 

[Jmeeks54thebest]

Give me Jackie Moon, Coffee Black, and Dan Issel and I’ll play the rest of the league 3v5.

 

[Johnfarrel]

Issel and Dr. J were two of the very best.

 

[Soupbean]

Give me Jackie Moon, Coffee Black, and Dan Issel and I’ll play the rest of the league 3v5.

Monix and Dampier at guards. My son has full out Jackie Moon outfit with shoes and fro

 

[Tannerdad]

Best I saw in person. No particular order:

Issel
Erving
Cunningham
Barry
Daniels
Barnes
Gilmore
Dampier
Gervin
McG

 

[NCPurplecat]

Earliest memories of Sports was Cincinnati Royals moving to KC. Big disappointment. Bias was toward NBA but this post and the list of ABA top players was a new view. Erving, Gerven and Issel along with Artis could play with any one. The top two played at current NBA level. Saw one Kentucky Colonels game and loved it. Remember dad saying just watch Issel. I was about 5 and still have the ticket stub.

 

[DWDwildcat47]

Interesting fact, to show the talent in the ABA the 1st year after the merger the NBA all star game had 10 former ABS players in it.

 

[JDHoss]

Loved the ABA. Darnell Hillman wins the fro award and the best dunker award.

 

[JDHoss]

Wendell PLAYMATE Ladner

Dan Issel was quoted in the book Loose Balls as saying they were on the plane circling DC, waiting to land, when Ladner looked out the window and noticed the Washington Monument and said..."that must be the Washington Post"....

If you loved the ABA, this book is a must....

 

[BigBlueManSouthCentralKY]

Wilt was there a while. Remember getting his autograph on his basketball card. Virginia had Erving, Gervin and Irvine. Utah seemed to give us trouble a lot with Zelmo Beaty and George Karl, etc. not sure who else. Issel, Big A, little Louie, Bird, Simon, etc that was a fun team to keep up with.

 

[Catfan in Tn.]

I loved going to see the Colonels play, they were one of the best four teams in the ABA. The entry fee for the NBA was a hundred million I think and John Y Brown and Ellie split up and she didn’t want to put up the other 50 million. The Colonels were a successful franchise and it was very disappointing that they weren’t going to be one of the four ABA teams to merge with the NBA.

Would have cost John Y $3 million to join the NBA.

 

[littlecreek]

Dan Issel was quoted in the book Loose Balls as saying they were on the plane circling DC, waiting to land, when Ladner looked out the window and noticed the Washington Monument and said..."that must be the Washington Post"....

If you loved the ABA, this book is a must....

Absolutely! I read that book, it was hilarious. I was in the 2nd grade when the ABA folded but I remember Kentucky folks were upset John Y Brown didn’t take the Colonels to the NBA. Hubie Brown said the 75 Colonels were the best team he ever coached and maybe the best he ever saw.

 

[mpennin3]

I still have a Colonels pennant and a basketball signed by all of the 75 Colonels. A few years ago they came back as honorary grand Marshall’s for the Pegasus parade and they had a meet and greet for the fans. Almost all of the guys were there except Ron Thomas who was in a nursing home and in too bad a shape. Bird Averitt had a stroke but he was still there. Darrell Carrier, Cincy Powell, Artis, Issell, Dampier, Joe Thomas, Mike Pratt, Wayne Chapman, Jimmy Dan Connor, Les Hunter, Mike Gale. Was so great to see those guys again. Got pictures of all of them but I’m an old dude and have no idea how to post them here.

 

[ukfan1622]

I'm gonna give my top five by position and I know that leaves off some great players:

Gilmore at center
Issel at power forward
The Doctor at small forward
Gervin at the scoring guard
Dampier at point

 

[BigBlueManSouthCentralKY]

One team always seemed to have a Jones family. Caldwell was one. All the fro's seemed to add something to the game back then for some reason. Think big A was about 7-5 with his. Hope that returns to bring back old memories.

 

[JDHoss]

The ABA Was Short-Lived, but Its Impact on Basketball Is Eternal

The spectacular play you see today owes a mighty debt to the revolutionary, slam-dunking basketball league

www.smithsonianmag.com

 

[CrustyCat]

Some of us old guys remember the old ABA, far more entertaining in its time than the current NBA. I would like to hear what you guys would pick for an all ABA team. Mine PG Mack Calvin, played for the Miami Floridians one of the great shooters I ever saw, SG George Gervin( Virginia Squires), SF Julius Erving ( Virginia Squires), PF George McGinnis ( Indiana Pacers) fabulous player, Center Dan Issel( Kentucky Coronels). UK’s best players ever IMO. Honorable mention to Artis Gilmore also a Coronel, with that big Afro he looked 8 feet tall, also Spencer Haywood and Marvin Barnes

Agreed. Alot more fun to watch. The Ice Man and Dr. J on the same team - talk about a defensive challenge.

 

[MychalG]

The ABA games were so much fun to watch. I went to several of the Colonels games in the Louisville Gardens and then Freedom Hall. Good times with my late father and uncle. I would listen to their games on the radio with Van Vance doing the play by play if we did not go to the game. There were games in the Gardens where there would only be a few hundred in the stands before they signed Issel and Pratt. Easy autographs after the games. Watching the Colonels when Hubie Brown was the coach was the pre cursor to Pitino's first few seasons at UK. Drive to the goal and kick it out for a 3 by Dampier and Carrier. Loose Balls is very interesting read. In addition to the usual Colonel players, one of my favorites was Jim "Goose" Ligon from Kokomo Indiana. John Tong was the PA announcer. Such good memories thinking about going to those games. I was at the game with the Oakland Oaks right after they signed Rick Barry.. The place was packed. I use to go to the Dirt Bowl (Shawnee Park) in the summer and it was not unusual to see some of the Colonels players there playing pick up games. Artis "A-Train" Gilmore arrived one day in a Cadillac and as soon as he stepped out of the car, he said, "I got next." Kids and adults went crazy seeing him there.

 

[*CatinIL*]

Say what you want, but I loved getting those ABA balls for Christmas...

 

[BigRedMachineBigBlueNation]

An aside: Why did the NBA not pick the Colonels during the merging?

 

[ArcadiaFan]

Loose Balls is a great book! Their was also a nice 30 for 30 about The Spirits of St. Louis that came out a few years ago. The owners of the Spirits basically lost their team but made a fortune because as part of their settlement they got NBA TV money in perpetuity. I think they settled with the NBA a few years ago though.

 

[gojvc]

 

[Catfan in Tn.]

An aside: Why did the NBA not pick the Colonels during the merging?

John Y Brown didn’t want to pay the $3 million buy in I think.