NBA–ABA All-Star Game

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.^[4][5] They also agreed to permit preseason games between the leagues in the upcoming fall.^[6] 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.^[4]

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".^[2] The players associations opposed a merger, as they would lose another potential employer.^[7] 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.^[8] Four months after the first all-star game in 1971, NBA and ABA teams started playing preseason exhibition games against each other.^[2][9]

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 by 125–120 against Larry Brown's ABA team, in a very competitive match.^[10] 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).^[10][11]

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 to the ABA's 30 seconds in the second half, when the ABA's red-white-and-blue ball and three-point field goal were in effect.^[12]

Nine out of ten NBA players that participated in that match were later inducted in 50 Greatest Players in NBA History: Frazier, John Havlicek, Dave DeBusschere, Nate Thurmond, Oscar Robertson, Dave Bing, Elvin Hayes, Earl Monroe, Billy Cunningham.^[13][14] 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.^[3] His absence made the game more competitive.^[3][10][11]

The NBA objected to the game, but no fines or suspensions of players were reported.^[15] 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."^[16] According to Sports Illustrated, Kentucky Colonels' management reportedly dissuaded their player Dan Issel from playing.^[3] The game was televised nationally by independent network Television Sports on about 200 stations.^[17][18]

The following month on June 20, most of the same players participated in the nationally televised Martin Luther King Jr. Benefit Game in Indianapolis.^[19] The contest was organized as an East–West game, with NBA and ABA players teaming together on each side, played with ABA rules.^[20] Originally announced in April,^[21] the game was sponsored by Black Expo, with proceeds going to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference for the Martin King Jr. benefit fund.^[21][22] 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.^[23]

Date: May 28, 1971

Arena: Houston Astrodome

Place: Houston, Texas

Attendance: 16,364

Final: NBA – ABA 125–120

MVP: Walt Frazier, New York Knicks

NBA

NBA Coach: Bill Russell

ABA

ABA Coach: Larry Brown

Source:^[1]

On May 25, 1972,^[13] the second match was played at Nassau Coliseum with a crowd of 14,086 people.^[1] The NBA team (that had players like Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson) won 106–104, overcoming a 19-point deficit.^[24] 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.^{[1][24][25][13]} The NBA's Bob Lanier, who was a late replacement for Abdul-Jabbar, scored 15 points, had seven rebounds, and was named the MVP.^[24]

The all-stars were voted for by players in each league.^[26] 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.^[27] The game was again televised by Television Sports.^[28] Some NBA players did not participate because the league threatened them with fines and suspensions.^[29] Conversely, ABA owners and their commissioner, Jack Dolph, supported the game.^[24]

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 Long Island, New York

Attendance: 14,086

Final: NBA – ABA 106–104

MVP: Bob Lanier, Detroit Pistons

NBA

NBA Coach: Elgin Baylor

ABA

ABA Coach: Al Bianchi

Source:^[1][24]

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.^[30][31] 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.^[32]

• ABA All-Star Game
• NBA All-Star Game
• ABA–NBA merger