NBA–ABA All-Star Game

After a costly four-year battle between the NBA and ABA, the two leagues agreed on May 7, 1971, to pursue Congressional approval to allow the merger of the two rivals.{{cite news|first=Leonard|last=Koppett|title=N.B.A. and A.B.A. Will Seek Merger|date=May 8, 1971|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/05/08/archives/nba-and-aba-will-seek-merger-nba-and-aba-to-seek-merger.html|access-date=August 16, 2023}} They also agreed to permit preseason games between the leagues in the upcoming fall.{{cite news|first=Deane|last=McGowen|title=N.B.A. and A.B.A. Stars Set Up Game|date=May 12, 1971|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/05/12/archives/nba-and-aba-stars-set-up-game.html|access-date=August 16, 2023}} Days later, the players responded by organizing the all-star game without consent from the owners or consulting with either league commissioner. Teams from the two leagues had never played each other before.{{cite news|title=Pro Cage Players Agree to Mix|date=May 12, 1971|newspaper=Alexandria Daily Town Talk|page=A9|agency=UPI|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-town-talk/129183604/|access-date=July 31, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}}

National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) president Oscar Robertson said that the all-star game would show that the two leagues could play against each other without an "illegal merger". The players associations opposed a merger, as they would lose another potential employer.{{cite news|first=Leonard|last=Koppett|title=N.B.A. All‐Stars Sink A.B.A., 106‐104|date=May 26, 1972|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/05/26/archives/nba-allstars-sink-aba-106104-nba-allstars-sink-aba-106104.html|access-date=June 7, 2023}} In April 1970, the NBPA had filed the lawsuit Robertson v. National Basketball Ass'n to prevent the leagues from merging due to antitrust arguments.{{cite book|title=National Basketball Association Strategies: Business Expansions, Relocations, and Mergers|first=Frank P. Jr.|last=Jozsa|year=2014|publisher=Springer|page=90|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H02qBAAAQBAJ&dq=%22oscar%20robertson%22%20aba%20%22all-star%20game%22%20merger&pg=PA90|isbn=9783319100586|access-date=August 18, 2023|via=Google Books}} Four months after the first all-star game in 1971, NBA and ABA teams started playing preseason exhibition games against each other.{{cite book|first1=Ken|last1=Shouler|first2=Bob|last2=Ryan|first3=Sam|last3=Smith|first4=Leonard|last4=Koppett|first5=Bob|last5=Bellotti|title=Total Basketball: The Ultimate Basketball Encyclopedia|page=532|publisher=Sport Media Publishing|year=2003|url=https://archive.org/details/totalbasketballu00leon/page/532/mode/1up|url-access=registration|access-date=June 4, 2023|isbn=1894963016|ref=shouler}}

File:Wes Unseld and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.jpeg, did not play for the NBA after getting married earlier in the day.]]

On May 28, 1971, the first interleague all-star game between the best players of both American professional leagues was held. It was played at the Houston Astrodome with a crowd of 16,364. The NBA team, coached by Bill Russell, won 125–120 in a very competitive match against Larry Brown's ABA team.{{cite news|title=Frazier Sparks NBA All-Stars|date=May 29, 1971|newspaper=The Durham Sun|page=8|agency=AP|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-durham-sun/125835721/|access-date=June 4, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}} The NBA's Walt Frazier scored a game-high 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting and was named the game's most valuable player (MVP).

The game was played with a mixture of rules from both leagues. In the first half, the NBA's 24-second shot clock and its conventional ball were used. The shot clock changed in the second half to the ABA's 30 seconds, when the ABA's red-white-and-blue ball and three-point field goal were also in effect.{{cite news|title=Lew-less NBA Stars Nip Rivals|date=May 29, 1971|newspaper=Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph|agency=AP|page=1-B|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/colorado-springs-gazette-telegraph/129183038/|access-date=July 31, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}}

Nine out of ten NBA players that participated in that match were later named among the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History: Frazier, John Havlicek, Dave DeBusschere, Nate Thurmond, Oscar Robertson, Dave Bing, Elvin Hayes, Earl Monroe, Billy Cunningham.{{cite news |last=Friedman |first=David |title=The legacy of the ABA |date=14 April 2007 |url=http://www.nbcsports.com/nba/1359640/detail.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070520232907/http://www.nbcsports.com/nba/1359640/detail.html |archive-date=20 May 2007 |publisher=NBC Universal}}{{cite web|title=50 Greatest Players in NBA History|work=Basketball Reference|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/awards/nba_50_greatest.html|access-date=July 30, 2023}} Only Lou Hudson would miss out on joining the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History from that roster, though he would still make it to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame alongside the rest of the NBA team's players and five of the ABA team's players. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was originally scheduled to play in the game, even though he was getting married earlier in the day, but changed his mind after the wedding.{{cite magazine|title=No Member From The Wedding|date=June 7, 1971|magazine=Sports Illustrated|url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1971/06/07/no-member-from-the-wedding|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022204713/https://vault.si.com/vault/1971/06/07/no-member-from-the-wedding|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 22, 2021|access-date=August 17, 2023}} His absence made the game more competitive.{{cite news|title=No Lew Help|date=May 29, 1971|newspaper=El Paso Herald-Post|agency=UPI|page=A-6|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/el-paso-herald-post/125835324/|access-date=June 4, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}}

The NBA objected to the game, but no fines or suspensions of players were reported.{{cite news|title=Possible Fine Puts Cloud in ABA–NBA Tilt|date=May 25, 1972|newspaper=The Shreveport Times|page=E-1|agency=AP|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times/129182170/|access-date=July 31, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}} Astrodome publicity director Wayne Chandler said he unofficially heard that "the owners will not raise a hand to help. But on the other hand, they are not trying to prevent the game from being played."{{cite news|first=Bobby|last= Risinger|date=May 25, 1971|title=Something To Prove|newspaper=The Baytown Sun|page=10|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baytown-sun/129584427/|access-date=August 7, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}} According to Sports Illustrated, Kentucky Colonels' management reportedly dissuaded their player Dan Issel from playing. The game was televised nationally by independent network Television Sports on about 200 stations.{{cite web|title=Large turnout expected at NBA–ABA all-star game|date=May 23, 1971|newspaper=Times News|page=21|agency=UPI|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-news/125836023/|access-date=June 4, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite news|title=Charity Gets About $25,000 From NBA–ABA All-Star Game|date=May 30, 1971|newspaper=Daily Press|pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-press/125837697 D2], [https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-press/125837856/ D6]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-press/125837697/|access-date=June 4, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}}

The following month on June 20, most of the same players participated in the nationally televised Martin Luther King Jr. Benefit Game in Indianapolis.{{cite news|title=Pro Basketball Stars Clash Today In Martin Luther King Jr. Benefit|date=June 20, 1971|newspaper=The Morning Call|agency=AP|page=C-8|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-morning-call/142788391/|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=March 6, 2024}} The contest was organized as an East–West game, with NBA and ABA players teaming together on each side, played with ABA rules.{{cite news|first=Dave|last=Overpeck|title='Merged" All-Stars Battle in King Benefit|date=June 20, 1971|newspaper=The Indianapolis Star|at=sec. 4, p. 4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-star/142788607/|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=March 6, 2024}} Originally announced in April,{{cite news|title=Top Pros To Play King Benefit Here|date=April 23, 1971|newspaper=The Indianapolis Star|page=40|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-star/142789017/|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=March 6, 2024}} the game was sponsored by Black Expo, with proceeds going to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference for the Martin King Jr. benefit fund.{{cite news|first=Dick|last=Denny|title=Tomorrow: ABA–NBA All-Stars|date=June 19, 1971|newspaper=The Indianapolis News|page=12|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-news/142788547/|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=March 6, 2024}} In front of 6,078 spectators, the West won 111–100. The East's John Brisker scoring a game-high 21 points and Connie Hawkins of the West named the MVP.{{cite news|title=WEST 111‐100 VICTOR IN N.B.A.‐A.B.A. GAME|date=June 20, 1971|newspaper=The New York Times|agency=AP|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/06/21/archives/west-111100-victor-in-nbaaba-game.html|access-date=March 6, 2024}}

Date: May 28, 1971

Arena: Houston Astrodome

Place: Houston, Texas

Attendance: 16,364

Final: NBA – ABA 125–120

MVP: Walt Frazier, New York Knicks

NBA

File:Walt Frazier 1969.jpeg scored a game-high 26 points and was named the game's MVP.]]

NBA coach: Bill Russell

ABA

ABA coach: Larry Brown

Source:

On May 25, 1972, the second match was played at Nassau Coliseum with a crowd of 14,086 people. The NBA team (that had players like Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson) won 106–104, overcoming a 19-point deficit.{{cite news|title=Lanier: Players Will Quit|date=May 26, 1972|newspaper=The Columbia Record|agency=AP|page=3-D|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-columbia-record-nba-aba-all-star-pl/125994720/|access-date=June 11, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}} The different numbers of free-throws between the two teams conceded by the NBA's referee in both games was decisive: 70–45 in the first match and 47–32 in the second.{{cite web|url=http://www.remembertheaba.com/ABAArticles/MurphyArticleABANBAAllStar.html |title=All-Star Showdown Helped Lift ABA}} The NBA's Bob Lanier, who was a late replacement for Abdul-Jabbar, scored 15 points, had seven rebounds, and was named the MVP.

The all-stars were voted for by players in each league.{{cite news|title=Second NBA–ABA All-Star Game Set For May 25|date=May 10, 1972|newspaper=The Bangor Daily News|agency=AP|page=23|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-bangor-daily-news/129182679/|access-date=July 31, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}} Game rules were blended again. The NBA's ball was used in the first half and the ABA's in the second. The NBA's 24-second shot clock was used for the game, as was the ABA's 3-pointers.{{cite news|title=Pro Stars Meet Tonight—Maybe|date=May 25, 1972|newspaper=The Racine Journal-Times|agency=AP|page=1B|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-journal-times-nba-aba-all-star-game/129182221/|access-date=July 31, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}} The game was again televised by Television Sports.{{cite news|first=Seymour S.|last=Smith|title=Cage game selling TV spots|date=May 24, 1982|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|page=C4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun/129182403/|access-date=July 31, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}} Some NBA players did not participate because the league threatened them with fines and suspensions.Shouler et al., 2003, p. 536. Conversely, ABA owners and their commissioner, Jack Dolph, supported the game.

John Havlicek and Oscar Robertson were the only two players that appeared in both matches for NBA squad, while for ABA team They were Rick Barry, Donnie Freeman, Willie Wise, Roger Brown and Mel Daniels.

Date: May 25, 1972

Arena: Nassau Coliseum

Place: Uniondale Long Island, New York

Attendance: 14,086

Final: NBA – ABA 106–104

MVP: Bob Lanier, Detroit Pistons

NBA

NBA coach: Elgin Baylor

ABA

ABA coach: Al Bianchi

Source:

A third all-star game was scheduled for May 18, 1974, at the Providence Civic Auditorium in Providence, Rhode Island, to be televised on ABC's Wide World of Sports.{{cite web|first=Ulish|last=Carter|title=NBA, ABA All-star game to benefit HAACP, UNCF|date=May 18, 1974|newspaper=Pittsburgh Courier|page=9|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-pittsburgh-courier-1974-nba-aba-all/125994938/|access-date=June 11, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite news|title='Wide World' expands|date=May 11, 1974|newspaper=Florence Morning News|at=TV News, p. 15|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/florence-morning-news-nba-aba-all-star/125994818/|access-date=June 11, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}} The network had been the league's broadcaster from 1964 until 1973, when CBS was awarded the NBA contract. The all-star game was cancelled when the NBA owners won a binding arbitration blocking their players from taking part. Larry Fleisher, who was the NBPA's general counsel, believed that television considerations led to the NBA's block, with CBS being unhappy that the game was to be on ABC.{{cite news|title=NBA–ABA All-Star Duel Off|date=May 19, 1974|newspaper=News & Leader|page=E6|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/springfield-leader-and-press-1974-nba-ab/125994876/|access-date=June 11, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}}

• ABA All-Star Game
• NBA All-Star Game
• ABA–NBA merger

{{reflist}}

Category:American Basketball Association

Category:Basketball all-star games

Category:National Basketball Association