The Los Angeles Jets were an American basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, founded by Jack Blanck and Len Corbosiero, that was a member of the American Basketball League in the league's 1961–62 season.

History The American Basketball League played one full season, 1961–1962, and part of the next season until the league folded on December 31, 1962. The ABL was the first basketball league to have a three point shot for baskets scored far away from the goal. Other rules that set the league apart were a 30-second shooting clock and a wider free throw lane, 18 feet instead of the standard 12.

The American Basketball League was formed when Abe Saperstein did not get the Los Angeles National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise he sought. His Harlem Globetrotters had strong NBA ties. When Minneapolis Lakers owner Bob Short was permitted to move the Lakers to Los Angeles, Saperstein reacted by convincing National Alliance of Basketball Leagues (NABL) team owner Paul Cohen (Tuck Tapers) and Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) National Champion Cleveland Pipers owner George Steinbrenner to take the top NABL and AAU teams and players and form a rival league.

League franchises were: the Chicago Majors (1961-1963); Cleveland Pipers (1961-1962); Kansas City Steers (1961–63); Long Beach Chiefs (1961-1963), as Hawaii Chiefs in 1961-62; Los Angeles Jets (1961–62, disbanded during season); Oakland Oaks (1961-1963, as San Francisco Saints in 1961-1962; Philadelphia Tapers 1961-1963, as Washington Tapers in 1961-62; moved to New York during 1961-62 season; as New York Tapers in 1961-62 and the Pittsburgh Rens (1961-1963).

The team's only coach was Bill Sharman. The assistant coach was Edwin A. "Scotty" McDonald, a former Loyola (of Los Angeles) coach, and coach of many AAU teams, NBA scout, and advisor.

The team was competing for ticket buyers in a market that included the recently relocated Lakers, as well as the college teams of USC and UCLA. Partway through their first and only season, with a respectable record of 24–15, the Jets franchise found itself unable to draw enough spectators to continue. The team disbanded during its only season on January 18, 1962. A new team taking the representation of the Jets franchise would participate in the 1962 ABL Draft process (albeit going by a tentative Los Angeles name), but that franchise would never materialize into action following the defending champion Cleveland Pipers later folding operations also.

The Jets played at both the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena and Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles.

Roster Jets players include the following players:

Larry Beck Bob Blue George Finley Larry Friend Charlie Hadden Hal Lear Jim Palmer Jim Powell Bill Sharman (player-coach) Bill Spivey Dan Swartz Henry Whitney George Yardley

Basketball Hall of Famers Los Angeles Jets Hall of FamersPlayers No. Name Position Tenure Inducted 21 Bill Sharman SG 1961–1962 1976CoachesName Position Tenure InductedBill Sharman Head coach 1961–1962 2004

Year-by-year YearLeagueReg. seasonWinsLossesPlayoffs1961/62ABL4th, Western2415N/A (Folded) Media Coverage

The Jets were one of only two ABL teams (Pittsburgh was the other) with television coverage. KTTV televised four games, including the opener in San Francisco, the home opener vs the Chicago Majors at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena and two others at the Grand Olympic Auditorium with Bill Welsh announcing. The home matches were on KABC (AM) with Sam Balter doing play-by-play.

Game log October Record: 1-1; Home: 1-0; Road: 0-1 # Date H/A/N Opponent W/L Score Record Attendance Site 1 October 27 A San Francisco Saints L 96-99 0-1 5,137 Cow Palace 2 October 30 H Chicago Majors W 119-116 1-1 8,384 Los Angeles Sports Arena

November Record: 7-7; Home: 3-3; Road: 2-3; Neutral: 2-1 # Date H/A/N Opponent W/L Score Record Attendance Site 3 November 6 H San Francisco Saints L 113-116 1-2 1,364 Olympic Auditorium 4 November 7 H San Francisco Saints W 110-98 2-2 1,788 Olympic Auditorium 5 November 10 N Chicago Majors W 121-106 3-2 2,016 Municipal Auditorium 6 November 12 A Kansas City Steers L 109-113 3-3 1,869 Municipal Auditorium 7 November 13 H Cleveland Pipers W 108-99 4-3 3,176 Olympic Auditorium 8 November 14 H Cleveland Pipers W 106-90 5-3 2,630 Olympic Auditorium 9 November 17 H Kansas City Steers L 109-115 5-4 2,016 Olympic Auditorium 10 November 19 H Kansas City Steers L 85-100 5-5 3,227 Olympic Auditorium 11 November 21 A Chicago Majors W 142-119 6-5 3,000 (EST) Chicago Stadium 12 November 22 N Chicago Majors L 90-118 6-6 2,895 Milwaukee Arena 13 November 24 A Kansas City Steers L 108-121 6-7 3,347 Municipal Auditorium 14 November 26 A Kansas City Steers W 81-72 7-7 2,225 Municipal Auditorium 15 November 27 N San Francisco Saints W 97-76 8-7 3,596 Civic Arena 16 November 29 N Washington Tapers L 100-103 8-8 3,872 Civic Arena

December Record: 12-5; Home: 5-1; Road: 5-4; Neutral: 2-0 # Date H/A/N Opponent W/L Score Record Attendance Site 17 December 1 N Cleveland Pipers L 92-113 8-9 755 Columbus Fairgrounds Coliseum 18 December 2 A Cleveland Pipers W 116-109 9-9 3,254 Public Hall 19 December 3 A Pittsburgh Rens W 88-76 10-9 2,733 Civic Arena 20 December 6 N Pittsburgh Rens W 104-93 11-9 2,127 Chicago Stadium 21 December 7 A Pittsburgh Rens L 93-107 11-10 2,342 Civic Arena 22 December 9 H Washington Tapers W 115-99 12-10 938 Olympic Auditorium 23 December 10 H Washington Tapers L 100-101 12-11 1,773 Olympic Auditorium 24 December 12 H San Francisco Saints W 96-89 13-11 1,562 Olympic Auditorium 25 December 13 N Hawaii Chiefs W 90-89 14-11 3,384 Cow Palace 26 December 16 H San Francisco Saints W 111-88 15-11 522 Olympic Auditorium 27 December 17 H San Francisco Saints W 115-103 16-11 256 Olympic Auditorium 28 December 19 A Washington Tapers W 108-90 17-11 Washington Coliseum 29 December 20 A Washington Tapers W 93-89 18-11 Washington Coliseum 30 December 21 A Washington Tapers W 102-96 19-11 Washington Coliseum 31 December 26 A San Francisco Saints L 110-114 19-12 3,045 San Francisco Civic Auditorium 32 December 28 A San Francisco Saints L 103-104 19-13 4,084 San Francisco Civic Auditorium 33 December 31 H Pittsburgh Rens W 119-108 20-13 1,798 Olympic Auditorium

January Record: 4-2; Home: 3-0; Road: 0-1; Neutral: 1-1 # Date H/A/N Opponent W/L Score Record Attendance Site 34 January 2 H Washington Tapers W 112-104 21-13 583 Olympic Auditorium 35 January 4 H Washington Tapers W 107-104 22-13 1,165 Olympic Auditorium 36 January 5 N Chicago Majors L 103-106 (OT) 22-14 5,500 (EST) Wichita, Kansas 37 January 6 A Chicago Majors L 89-105 22-15 2,352 Chicago Stadium 38 January 9 H Hawaii Chiefs W 140-103 23-15 2,791 Olympic Auditorium 39 January 10 N Hawaii Chiefs W 123-122 24-15 2,684 Cow Palace

References