This article will be permanently flagged as inappropriate and made unaccessible to everyone. Are you certain this article is inappropriate? Excessive Violence Sexual Content Political / Social
Email Address:
Article Id: WHEBN0028613913 Reproduction Date:
The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a professional basketball league that operated from the 1967–68 season until it ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976. The ABA presented a variety of annual awards and honors to recognize its players and executives.
There were six awards presented by the ABA. Three Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards were presented annually in the All-Star Game, the regular season, and the playoffs. In sports, the player judged to be the most important to the team is the Most Valuable Player (MVP). Other annual awards include the Executive of the Year, the Coach of the Year, and the Rookie of the Year. Honors were also presented to players who excelled in the respective categories of: best players, best defensive players, and best rookies. The Executive of the Year Award and the All-Defensive Team started in the 1972–73 season, while the rest started in the first season. Julius Erving has won the most ABA awards with five MVP awards—three in the regular season and two in the playoffs.[1] Artis Gilmore has won the most ABA honors with nine. A total of 80 ABA players and executives have received at least one award or honor.[2]
The American Basketball Association (ABA) Finals were the championship series of the ABA, a professional basketball league, in which two teams played each other for the title. The ABA was formed in the fall of 1967, and the first ABA Finals were played at the end of the league's first season in the spring of 1968.[3] The league ceased operations in 1976 with the ABA–NBA merger and four teams from the ABA continued play in the National Basketball Association.[4]
All ABA Finals were in best-of-seven format and were contested between the winners of the Eastern Division and the Western Division finals. The only teams to win the championship more than once were the Indiana Pacers and the New York Nets. The Indiana Pacers initially played in the ABA Finals in 1969, which they lost to the Oakland Oaks, but they won the championship the next year against the Los Angeles Stars.[5][6] They won in the ABA Finals again in 1972, their first after moving to the Western Division, against the New York Nets and won their final ABA championship against the Kentucky Colonels in 1973.[7][8] The New York Nets won their first championship in 1974 against the Utah Stars, and their second against the Denver Nuggets in 1976.[9][10]
The last ABA Finals were in 1976, after which the ABA–NBA merger took place; three of the four teams that continued into the NBA made it to or won the ABA Finals.[4]
The Most Valuable Player (MVP) was an annual award first awarded in the 1974–75 season. Seven of the award winners were capable of playing forward, while six were capable of playing center (basketball). Two rookies have won the award: Spencer Haywood in the 1969–70 season and Artis Gilmore in the 1971–72 season.
The Playoffs Most Valuable Player Award was an annual award given in the ABA Playoffs. The award was first awarded in the 1968 ABA Playoffs, and was retired as part of the ABA–NBA merger. The inaugural award winner was Pittsburgh Pipers' player Connie Hawkins. On all occasions, the player who wins the Playoffs MVP award was from the team that won the ABA championship. Julius Erving, who led the New York Nets to two ABA championships in 1974 and 1976, is the only player to win the award twice.
The All-ABA Team was an annual honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every ABA season. The team was selected in every season of the league's existence, dating back to its inaugural season in 1967–68. The All-ABA Team was composed of two five-man lineups—a first and second team, each typically consisting of two forwards, one center (basketball), and two guards. A tie has occurred only once in the 1970–71 season when Zelmo Beaty and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Dan Issel both were selected to the center position.
Indiana Pacers, Utah Stars, Denver Nuggets, Virginia Squires, Carolina Cougars
Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers, San Antonio Spurs
Indianapolis, Reggie Miller, National Basketball Association, Mel Daniels, Miami Heat
Indiana Pacers, Forward (basketball), Julius Erving, American Basketball Association, Center (basketball)
David Robinson (basketball), Tim Duncan, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks
ABA All-Rookie Team, ABA Coach of the Year Award, ABA Playoffs Most Valuable Player Award, ABA Rookie of the Year Award, All-ABA Team
American Basketball Association, Kentucky Colonels, Indiana Pacers, Virginia Squires, Carolina Cougars