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Surprising many, the upstart ABA, like a guerrilla army that starts out as a nuisance, was scoring better than here and there victories.   In 1970, they signed Dan Issel for $1.4 million, Rick Mount for $1 million, and Charlie Scott for $500,000.   In 1971, Artis Gilmore was signed for $1.5 million.

In an era when the NBA tried to keep "star" talent popular, yet contained enough to prevent them from demanding ever-larger contracts, the ABA made it increasingly harder to avoid the coming age of the "superstar."

The precedents set down during that time effect player salaries and NBA payrolls to this day.

Daring to be Different, Cautiously  

The ABA also had a significant recruiting first, even if it was a promotional stunt.

On November 28, 1968, Penny Ann Early became the first woman to play in any professional basketball league.  

The Kentucky Colonels' management wanted to milk an earlier controversy when Ms. Early became a jockey at Churchill Downs. The male jockeys had boycotted her three races in protest.  

Coach Gene Rhodes protested the stunt, but inserted her into the game.  

Penny Ann, far from the prototype feminist, checked in wearing a miniskirt and turtleneck sweater with the number 3 on the back to represent the three boycotted races.   She in-bounded the ball to teammate Bobby Rascoe, who immediately called for a time-out.  

She was taken out of the game to a standing ovation.

Poo-Pooed by Purists

The basketball media and "true" fans of the sport relentlessly frowned upon the ABA game.  

Purists attacked it as being too wide open with too little defense.   Ironic criticisms by today's anything-goes standards.

NBA fans found the "three-pointer" as offensive as National League fans found the designated-hitter rule.  

The NBA game had long been about all five men playing a very technical, precise style of basketball.  

The ABA game blew the barn doors off of that staid, structured system and laid down the foundations for the kind of game played in the modern NBA today.   

"Airness" was not an invention of Michael Jordan. Jordan merely ran with a ball that was set spinning in three colors nearly two decades prior.

The Missing Air

The air game of the ABA lacked one important form of atmosphere that ultimately determined their fate: On-air.

The league played in the shadows without a television contract.   Yet, if there ever were a group of players "made for television," the easy-going, jive-time ball of the ABA stars was prime-time entertainment.

They felt that they were renegades,   playing their brand of ball with creative excitement , in contrast to what George Gervin later called the "old slow league."  

 

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