The NBA–ABA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball match organized by the players associations of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and American Basketball Association (ABA) in which a selection of the best players from each league played in a game against each other. The players organized the all-star game against the wishes of the owners, who refused any interleague play without a merger of the leagues. Billed as a "Supergame", it was held in 1971 and 1972. Another game was originally scheduled to be played in 1974, until the NBA won a binding arbitration blocking their players from participating.
Background 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. They also agreed to permit preseason games between the leagues in the upcoming fall. 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. Some proceeds from the game went to charity and some to the players' pension fund.
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. 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. Four months after the first all-star game in 1971, NBA and ABA teams started playing preseason exhibition games against each other.
Games 1971
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. 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.
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. 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. His absence made the game more competitive.
The NBA objected to the game, but no fines or suspensions of players were reported. 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." 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.
The following month on June 20, most of the same players participated in the nationally televised Martin Luther King Jr. Benefit Game in Indianapolis. The contest was organized as an East–West game, with NBA and ABA players teaming together on each side, played with ABA rules. Originally announced in April, the game was sponsored by Black Expo, with proceeds going to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference for the Martin King Jr. benefit fund. 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.
Date: May 28, 1971
Arena: Houston Astrodome
Place: Houston, Texas
Attendance: 16,364
Final: NBA – ABA 125–120
MVP: Walt Frazier, New York Knicks
1 2 3 4 TOT NBA33332534125 ABA33312531120
*Elected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
NBA
Player 2FG FT 3P PF PTSJohn Havlicek*3/74/70/0410Dave DeBusschere*6/145/50/0517Nate Thurmond*1/51/50/013Oscar Robertson*4/99/140/0117Dave Bing*2/57/120/0211Walt Frazier*11/164/50/0226Elvin Hayes*8/201/50/0417Earl Monroe*2/58/90/0112Lou Hudson*2/63/30/047Billy Cunningham*1/53/50/035 TOTAL40/9245/700/027125 43.5%64.3%0.0% NBA coach: Bill Russell
ABA Player 2FG FT 3P PF PTSRick Barry*7/176/100/1520 Willie Wise6/134/50/0316Zelmo Beaty*3/54/60/0310 Larry Jones6/100/01/1615Charlie Scott*5/121/30/4211Mel Daniels*5/125/70/0115 John Brisker1/56/62/3314Roger Brown*3/53/50/129 Steve Jones1/31/31/156 Donnie Freeman2/60/00/034 Bill Melchionni0/10/00/030 TOTAL39/8930/454/1136120 43.8%66.7%36.4% ABA coach: Larry Brown
Source:
1972 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. 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. 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. 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. The game was again televised by Television Sports. 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. In June, NBA owners unanimously authorized fines for each NBA participant who was unauthorized to play in the game. The fine matched the amount each player earned in the game, $3,300. Only Connie Hawkins and Paul Silas had received permission from their team, the Phoenix Suns. The NBPA voted to strike if the league followed through on collection.
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, New York
Attendance: 14,086
Final: NBA – ABA 106–104
MVP: Bob Lanier, Detroit Pistons
1 2 3 4 TOT NBA21293323106 ABA30262523104 *Elected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
NBA
Player FG FT 3P PF PTSJohn Havlicek*57/917Connie Hawkins*22/66Wilt Chamberlain*22/46Oscar Robertson*54/414Archie Clark55/715Bob Lanier*71/415Nate Archibald*44/612 Bob Love42/210Gail Goodrich*32/38 Paul Silas11/23 TOTAL3830/4727106 63.8% NBA coach: Elgin Baylor
ABA Player FG FT 3P PF PTSRick Barry*42/2111Dan Issel*40/08Artis Gilmore*70/514 Jimmy Jones31/27 Donnie Freeman56/716Julius Erving*53/413 Ralph Simpson52/412 Willie Wise44/512 George Thompson23/37Roger Brown*10/02Mel Daniels*10/02 TOTAL4121/3232104 65.6% ABA coach: Al Bianchi
Source:
1974 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. 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.
See also ABA All-Star Game NBA All-Star Game ABA–NBA merger
References