1968–69 ABA season
Sports season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1968–69 ABA season was the second season for the American Basketball Association. Two teams relocated: Minnesota Muskies became the Miami Floridians, while the Pittsburgh Pipers moved to Minnesota and became the Minnesota Pipers. Two others relocated within their territory, with the Anaheim Amigos becoming the Los Angeles Stars and the New Jersey Americans became the New York Nets. These moves to perceived better locations, alongside the arrival of Rick Barry to play with the Oakland Oaks, led the league having optimism for its second season.[1] The season ended with the Oakland Oaks capturing the first ABA championship. Months later, the Oaks elected to relocate to Washington, D.C. with the purchase of the team by Earl Foreman.
| Offseason | ||
|---|---|---|
| Team | 1967–68 coach | 1968–69 coach |
| Los Angeles Stars | Harry Dinnel | Bill Sharman |
| Minnesota Pipers | Vince Cazzetta | Jim Harding |
| Oakland Oaks | Bruce Hale | Alex Hannum |
| In-season | ||
| Team | Outgoing coach | Incoming coach |
| Houston Mavericks | Slater Martin | Jim Weaver |
| Indiana Pacers | Larry Staverman | Bobby Leonard |
| Minnesota Pipers | Jim Harding Vern Mikkelsen |
Vern Mikkelsen Verl Young |
| 1968–69 ABA season | |
|---|---|
| League | American Basketball Association |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | October 18, 1968 – May 7, 1969 |
| Games | 78 |
| Teams | 11 |
| Regular season | |
| Top seed | Oakland Oaks |
| Season MVP | Mel Daniels (Indiana) |
| Top scorer | Larry Jones (Denver) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | Indiana Pacers |
| Eastern runners-up | Miami Floridians |
| Western champions | Oakland Oaks |
| Western runners-up | New Orleans Buccaneers |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Oakland Oaks |
| Runners-up | Indiana Pacers |
Teams
| 1968–69 American Basketball Association | ||||
| Division | Team | City | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern | Indiana Pacers | Indianapolis, Indiana | Indiana State Fair Coliseum | 10,000 |
| Kentucky Colonels | Louisville, Kentucky | Louisville Convention Center | 6,000 | |
| Miami Floridians | Miami Beach, Florida | Miami Beach Convention Center | 15,000 | |
| Minnesota Pipers | Bloomington, Minnesota | Metropolitan Sports Center | 15,000 | |
| New York Nets | Commack, New York | Long Island Arena | 6,000 | |
| Western | Dallas Chaparrals | University Park, Texas Dallas, Texas |
Moody Coliseum Dallas Memorial Auditorium |
8,998 9,815 |
| Denver Rockets | Denver, Colorado | Denver Auditorium Arena | 6,841 | |
| Houston Mavericks | Houston, Texas | Sam Houston Coliseum | 9,200 | |
| Los Angeles Stars | Los Angeles, California | Los Angeles Sports Arena | 14,795 | |
| New Orleans Buccaneers | New Orleans, Louisiana | Loyola Field House | 6,500 | |
| Oakland Oaks | Oakland, California | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena | 13,502 | |
Map of teams
Eastern Division 
Western Division
Regular season
On April 5, 1969, prior to the ABA Playoffs, Mel Daniels was named ABA Most Valuable Player, with the margin being reported as being two votes over Connie Hawkins (others to receive votes were Larry Jones, James Jones, Rick Barry, Don Freeman, Warren Armstrong, Louie Dampier, Roger Brown, and Doug Moe).[2]
Final standings
Eastern Division
| Team | W | L | PCT. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana Pacers * | 44 | 34 | .564 | — |
| Miami Floridians * | 43 | 35 | .551 | 1 |
| Kentucky Colonels * | 42 | 36 | .538 | 2 |
| Minnesota Pipers * | 36 | 42 | .462 | 8 |
| New York Nets | 17 | 61 | .218 | 27 |
Western Division
| Team | W | L | PCT. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland Oaks * | 60 | 18 | .769 | — |
| New Orleans Buccaneers * | 46 | 32 | .590 | 14 |
| Denver Rockets * | 44 | 34 | .564 | 16 |
| Dallas Chaparrals * | 41 | 37 | .526 | 19 |
| Los Angeles Stars | 33 | 45 | .423 | 27 |
| Houston Mavericks | 23 | 55 | .295 | 37 |
Asterisk (*) denotes playoff team
Bold – ABA champions
Playoffs
The Oakland Oaks beat the Indiana Pacers 4-1 to win the ABA Championship.
Awards and honors
- ABA Most Valuable Player Award: Mel Daniels, Indiana Pacers
- Rookie of the Year: Warren Jabali, Oakland Oaks
- Coach of the Year: Alex Hannum, Oakland Oaks
- Playoffs MVP: Warren Jabali, Oakland Oaks
- All-Star Game MVP: John Beasley, Dallas Chaparrals
- All-ABA First Team
- Connie Hawkins, Minnesota Pipers (2nd selection)
- Rick Barry, Oakland Oaks
- Mel Daniels, Indiana Pacers (2nd selection)
- Jimmy Jones, New Orleans Buccaneers
- Larry Jones, Denver Rockets (2nd selection)
- All-ABA Second Team
- John Beasley, Dallas Chaparrals (2nd selection)
- Doug Moe, Oakland Oaks (1st Second Team selection, 2nd overall selection)
- Red Robbins, New Orleans Buccaneers
- Donnie Freeman, Miami Floridians
- Louie Dampier, Kentucky Colonels
- All-Rookie Team
