ABA All-Star Game
Professional basketball league founded in 1967
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The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist after merging with the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1976. In total, the league held nine all-star games, with all but the last being between the Western Division and the Eastern Division. In the final one, it was held between the first place team at the time of the All-Star break face off against a selected group of All-Stars, regardless of conference.
There was one noted exception to the rule in having the best coaches of the break be the head coach. The 1969 All-Star Game was to have Jim Harding of the leading Minnesota Pipers to coach the East. However, he was removed as coach by ABA management after getting into a fight with Gabe Rubin, a trustee of the ABA and partial owner of the team.[1][2] Gene Rhodes of the Kentucky Colonels was chosen to coach the East instead.
Alex Hannum, Larry Brown, and Bill Sharman are the only people to have coached in both the NBA and ABA All-Star Game. Brown, a three-time All-Star player, is the only person to have participated in the ABA All-Star Game as player and coach.
Results
| * | Elected in Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| Eastern Division (5 wins) | Western Division (3 wins) | Denver Nuggets (1 win) |
|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Host arena | Host city | Game MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | East 126, West 120 | Hinkle Fieldhouse | Indianapolis | Larry Brown*, New Orleans Buccaneers |
| 1969 | West 133, East 127 | Louisville Convention Center | Louisville, Kentucky | John Beasley, Dallas Chaparrals |
| 1970 | West 128, East 98 | Fairgrounds Coliseum | Indianapolis (2) | Spencer Haywood*, Denver Rockets |
| 1971 | East 126, West 122 | Greensboro Coliseum | Greensboro, North Carolina | Mel Daniels*, Indiana Pacers |
| 1972 | East 142, West 115 | Freedom Hall | Louisville, Kentucky (2) | Dan Issel*, Kentucky Colonels |
| 1973 | West 123, East 111 | Salt Palace | Salt Lake City | Warren Jabali, Denver Rockets |
| 1974 | East 128, West 112 | Norfolk Scope | Norfolk, Virginia | Artis Gilmore*, Kentucky Colonels |
| 1975 | East 151, West 124 | HemisFair Arena | San Antonio, Texas | Freddie Lewis, Spirits of St. Louis |
| 1976 | Denver Nuggets 144, ABA All-Stars 138 | McNichols Arena | Denver, Colorado | David Thompson*, Denver Nuggets |
Players with most selections in ABA All-Star Game
| * | Elected in Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
ABA All-Star Game head coaches
| * | Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach |
Eastern Division (1968–1975)
Western Division (1968–1975)
| Year | Head coach | Team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Babe McCarthy (2) | New Orleans Buccaneers | [3] |
| 1969 | Alex Hannum* | Oakland Oaks | [4] |
| 1970 | Babe McCarthy (3) | New Orleans Buccaneers | [5] |
| 1971 | Bill Sharman* | Utah Stars | [6] |
| 1972 | LaDell Andersen | Utah Stars | [7] |
| 1973 | LaDell Andersen (2) | Utah Stars | [8] |
| 1974 | Joe Mullaney (2) | Utah Stars | [9] |
| 1975 | Larry Brown* (2) | Denver Nuggets | [10] |
ABA All-Stars vs. Denver Nuggets (1976)
| Year | Head coach | Team | All-Star Team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Kevin Loughery (2) | New York Nets | ABA All-Stars | [11] |
| 1976 | Larry Brown* (3) | Denver Nuggets | Denver Nuggets | [11] |
Most selections
| Head coach | # | Selections |
|---|---|---|
| Larry Brown* | 3 | 1973 (Eastern Division)
1975 (Western Division) 1976 (Denver Nuggets) |
| Babe McCarthy | 3 | 1968 (Western Division)
1970 (Western Division) 1974 (Eastern Division) |
| Kevin Loughery | 2 | 1975 (Eastern Division)
1976 (ABA All-Stars) |
| LaDell Andersen | 2 | 1972 (Western Division)
1973 (Western Division) |
| Joe Mullaney | 2 | 1972 (Eastern Division)
1974 (Western Division) |