League

With leagues in Australia, Canada, Japan, and Mexico, the ABA is the largest and most diversified sports league in the world. The current ABA is the re-launch of the original ABA which was established in 1967 and merged with the NBA in 1976. This is when the ABA teams New Jersey Nets, San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers and Denver Nuggets officially became NBA teams. There are many notable NBA Players who played in the ABA: Julius Irving (Dr. J), George Gervin (The Iceman), Ricky Barry, Moses Malone, along with many others. The ABA was reformed in the year 2000 and continues to grow in numbers and popularity. The ABA has introduced new initiatives to include ABAGALE, the ABA Television Streaming Network, ABA X Radio, and Operation Upgrade, putting the league in position to capture the attention of basketball enthusiasts across the globe. There are two very important contributions the ABA brings to the U.S. and abroad: first, it offers NBA skilled players an opportunity to play professional basketball beyond the limited NBA draft spots available, and second, the ABA has opened doors of opportunity that minorities would otherwise not have – the ownership of a professional basketball team.