The 1968–69 New York Nets season was the first season of the Nets playing in New York and second overall season in the American Basketball Association (ABA). After one year in New Jersey as the New Jersey Americans, the team elected to play their games at Commack Arena in New York, the same place that they had tried to use for their one-game playoff against the Kentucky Colonels that they forfeited due to unplayable conditions. Low attendance plagued the team at times, with the October 29 game drawing only 384 people to see the Nets play the Denver Rockets. Only 249 attended the game played on December 25, 1968, which was also against the Rockets. The December 27 game was notable for a collision between Ken Wilburn and Rick Barry that cost Barry the rest of his season for the Oakland Oaks due to injury (though the Oaks would win the 1969 ABA Finals Championship despite Barry's injury). Factors for the low attendance ranged from a lack of star power to the conditioning of the court, which was over the hockey rink that was involved with the venue due to the Arena doubling as a hockey arena as well. Their 17–61 record would be the worst record in ABA history at the time (in terms of win percentage) until the 1974–75 Virginia Squires season broke that record.
ABA Draft PlayerSchool/Club teamDick CunninghamMurray StateRodney KnowlesDavidsonDon SmithIowa StateSteve AdelmanBoston CollegeEddie BiedenbachNorth Carolina StateRon GruziakDuquesnePete ODeaSt. Peter'sBill SoensMiami (FL)Bill ButlerSt. BonaventureJohn ChamberlainC. W. PostTony KoskiProvidenceBill LangheldFordhamArt StephensonRhode IslandHarry LaurieSt. Peter's This draft would be the last draft the New York Nets would operate under their original New Jersey Americans team name, as they would move operations and rename themselves into the New York Nets for this season following a failed tiebreaker playoff game from the previous season against the Kentucky Colonels.
Roster
ABA Playoffs
The Nets did not qualify for the playoffs this year. This would be the second straight season they would fail to quality for the ABA Playoffs after previously missing it via forced forfeiture on a one-game playoff match against the Kentucky Colonels.
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