|
The 1967–68 ABA season was the first season for the American Basketball Association. The ABA was challenging the National Basketball Association. The ABA introduced a red, white and blue basketball. They also used a 30 second shot clock as opposed to the NBA's 24 second shot clock. The ABA also used the three-point shot. There were 11 teams playing in the first season of the league, with each team playing a 78-game schedule. ==History== The American Basketball Association (ABA) was founded in 1967 by Dennis Murphy, former mayor of Buena Park, Calif. and Gary Davidson, an Orange County, Calif. attorney.George Mikan, a former National Basketball Association star best known for his career with the Minneapolis Lakers, was named as the league's first commissioner, saying that the ABA would avoid raiding the players from the NBA as the upstart league as it wanted to avoid legal issues relating to the reserve clause and hoped to avoid creating a bidding war for talent that would make player salaries unaffordable. Despite that, ''The New York Times'' reported that tentative offers had been made to Oscar Robertson and Wilt Chamberlain, who was offered a contract that would pay him $50,000 (half of what he was making with the Philadelphia 76ers) along with a 20% share of the team that started play as the New Jersey Americans.〔Hoppett, Leonard. ("Lining Up for Tap-Off; American Basketball Association Parley To Complete Plans for Loop's Operation" ), ''The New York Times'', February 12, 1967. Accessed September 1, 2010.〕 By April 1967, the league announced that they would begin play for the 1967–68 season with 11 teams in two divisions. The Eastern Division would include teams representing Indianapolis, Indiana, Louisville, Kentucky, New York City, Minneapolis and Pittsburgh, while the Western division would be made up of Anaheim, California, Dallas, Denver, Houston, New Orleans and Oakland. Each team owner made a commitment that they would have the resources to run for at least three years on annual budgets of $500,000 and would be able to absorb any financial losses during that period.〔Koppett, Leonard. ("New 11-Team Basketball Loop Guaranteed to Operate 3 Years" ), ''The New York Times'', April 4, 1967. Accessed September 1, 2010.〕 With the first pick in the league's inaugural draft in April 1967, Indianapolis chose Jimmy Walker, who had been a collegiate All-American at Providence College, where his 30.4 points per game led all major college players. Walker was also the first pick in the 1967 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons and ended up playing his entire career in the NBA. Among its picks, New Orleans selected pole vaulter Bob Seagren "because he is a great athlete and we think he can play pro basketball", despite the fact that he had never played basketball at the college level. The 11 teams selected a total of 130 players.〔Staff. ("NEW COURT LOOP DRAFTS PLAYERS; 11 Teams Pick 130 Athletes --Seagren on List" ), ''The New York Times'', April 3, 1967. Accessed September 1, 2010.〕 In June 1967, Rick Barry left the San Francisco Warriors where he had been the league's leading scorer to sign with Oakland, making him the seventh player and the first superstar to defect from the NBA to the upstart league. The three-year contract offer from Pat Boone, the singer and team owner, was estimated to be worth $500,000, with Barry saying "the offer Oakland made me was one I simply couldn't turn down" and that it would make him one of basketball's highest-paid players.〔via United Press International. ("Barry Accepts $500,000 Contract; He Quits N.B.A. for 3-Year Pact With Oakland Five" ), ''The New York Times'', June 21, 1967. Accessed September 1, 2010.〕 However, in August a superior court judge upheld the reserve clause in Barry's contract and ruled that Barry was obligated to play for the Warriors or else he would have to sit out for the entire season.〔via United Press International. ("WARRIORS UPHELD ON OPTION CLAUSE; Court Rules Barry is Bound to Club One More Year" ), ''The New York Times'', August 9, 1967. Accessed September 1, 2010.〕 Barry ultimately chose to sit out for the year, rather than play for San Francisco.〔via United Press International. ("Barry Ready to Sit Out Season Rather Than Play on Warriors" ), 'The New York Times', September 12, 1967. Accessed September 1, 2010.〕 Mikan unveiled the league's distinctive red, white and blue official ball in August, calling it "a patriotic ball" and saying that it would be more appealing visually on television.〔via Associated Press. ("Official A.B.A. Ball: It's Red, White and Blue" ), ''The New York Times'', August 20, 1967. Accessed September 1, 2010.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「1967–68 ABA season」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|