A Brief History of the NBA and ABA Merger

On June 18, 1976, the NBA and ABA completed their merger, creating one unified league. The NBA was now composed of 22 teams, including 17 from the former NBA and 5 from the ABA.

Introduction

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a men’s professional basketball league in North America, composed of 30 teams. It is one of the four major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. NBA players are the world’s best paid athletes by average annual salary per player.

The league was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946, as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The league adopted the name of the National Basketball Association at its first annual meeting in New York City on August 3, 1949. The BAA was originally created to rival Major League Baseball (MLB), and it coexisted with the National Basketball League (NBL) until the latter ceased operations in 1948 after it merged with the BAA. At times during its early years, the BAA’s rival was the Western Basketball League (WBL).

The NBA has one pre-eminenthect meaning: a team that has been successful over a long period of time, usually more than ten years.

The NBA Prior to the Merger

The National Basketball Association, or NBA, was founded in 1946 as the Basketball Association of America. The league was made up of 11 teams that were all located in large cities on the East Coast. The first game was played in New York City on November 1, 1946.

The BAA only lasted for three years before merging with the National Basketball League, or NBL, in 1949. The NBL was made up of small-market teams located primarily in the Midwest. The merger created a league with 17 teams.

The ABA Prior to the Merger

The ABA was founded in 1967 as a direct competitor to the NBA. The ABA had several differences from the NBA, including a 30-second shot clock (compared to the NBA’s 24-second clock), a three-point line (the NBA would not adopt the three-point line until 1979), and allowed teams to play with either six or seven players (the NBA requires five players on the court at all times). The ABA also had a more relaxed attitude towards player signings, meaning that players were signed to Although the ABA did have some star players, such as Julius Erving, Moses Malone, and George Gervin, the league was never able to achieve the same level of popularity or respect as the NBA.

In 1976, the two leagues came to an agreement that allowed four ABA teams – the Indiana Pacers, the San Antonio Spurs, the Denver Nuggets, and the New York Nets – to join the NBA for the 1976-1977 season. The agreement also called for various other changes, such as a modified playoff format and a $3.2 million payment from the NBA to the Kentucky Colonels (one of the ABA’s defunct teams) for their territorial rights. Although there were some initial growing pains – particularly regarding talent dilution and differences in playing styles between the two leagues – overall, both leagues benefited from the merger financially and in terms of talent.

The Merger Between the NBA and ABA

In 1976, the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the American Basketball Association (ABA) completed a merger. The ABA was formed in 1967, and despite its relatively short existence, it had a profound impact on the NBA. The most notable change that the ABA brought to the NBA was the introduction of the three-point shot, which is now a staple of the game. Before the merger, only five teams from the ABA joined the NBA: the Indiana Pacers, New York Nets, Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs, and Utah Jazz. As part of the agreement between the two leagues, each team was given an equal share of $3 million to help offset costs associated with joining the NBA.

Although it took a few years for the dust to settle, by 1981 all but two of the original ABA teams had either folded or been absorbed by other NBA teams. The Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs are still in existence today and are two of the most successful franchises in league history. The merger between the NBA and ABA was undoubtedly a positive step for both leagues, as it resulted in a more competitive and financially stable NBA.

The Impact of the Merger

In order to fully understand the impact of the NBA and ABA merger, it is important to first understand thecontext in which the merger took place. Prior to the 1976-1977 season, the National Basketball Association (NBA) was the only major professional basketball league in the United States. The American Basketball Association (ABA), which was founded in 1967, was seen as a rival to the NBA. The two leagues were in competition for players, fans, and television viewers. In June of 1976, after months of negotiations, the NBA and ABA announced that they would merge. The merger took effect prior to the start of the 1976-1977 season.

The impact of the merger was felt immediately. The most significant change was that four ABA teams -the Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, New York Nets, and San Antonio Spurs- joined the NBA. This increasedthe number of NBA teams from 22 to 26. The addition of these four teams made the NBA a truly nationalleague; prior to the merger, most NBA teams were located in large cities on the East Coast.

The merger also had an impact on player salaries. Prior to the merger, salaries in the NBA were much lowerthan they were in the ABA. This was due in part to the fact that there were more teams in the ABA, whichmeant that there was more competition for players. When the two leagues merged, player salaries increaseddramatically; some players saw their salaries more than double overnight.

The most significant long-term impact of the merger was on competitive balance. Prior to the merge