Throwback Thursday: "LONG SHOTS" The Life & Times of the ABA

From 1967-1976 their were two top shelf professional basketball leagues in America. The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the American Basketball Association (ABA). This documentary is from 1997 so a little more than twenty years after the merger, but tells the story of the wild and crazy ABA.

If nothing else, the ABA continues to have a lasting effect on the NBA since it was the league that introduced the 3-point shot. The NBA not too many years after the merger, adopted the "gimmick" shot itself. This year about 40% of all field goal attempts in the NBA are 3-pointers. Bob Ryan has recently suggested "junking" the shot.

Of course the ABA was a lot more than the league that introduced the 3-pointer (And it wasn't really used much at all in the ABA. Similar to how it was barely used in its NBA infancy). And the ABA was more than just Dr. J. A LOT of talented basketball players got their start/played in the ABA. The ABA pioneered the Slam Dunk contest. The ABA had style. Much of what made NBA basketball "Fantastic" in the 1980's is due in part to the ABA. Hope you enjoy the video.

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