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25 Greatest Players in ABA History

By Maxwell Ogden

SPRINGFIELD, MA - AUGUST 12: Artis Gilmore shakes hands with Hall of Fame Player Julius Erving during the Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony at Symphony Hall on August 12, 2011 in Springfield, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
SPRINGFIELD, MA - AUGUST 12: Artis Gilmore shakes hands with Hall of Fame Player Julius Erving during the Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony at Symphony Hall on August 12, 2011 in Springfield, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) /
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The ABA forever changed the way professional basketball is played. Who were the legends who made the American Basketball Association as influential as it was?

SPRINGFIELD, MA – AUGUST 12: Artis Gilmore shakes hands with Hall of Fame Player Julius Erving during the Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony at Symphony Hall on August 12, 2011 in Springfield, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
SPRINGFIELD, MA – AUGUST 12: Artis Gilmore shakes hands with Hall of Fame Player Julius Erving during the Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony at Symphony Hall on August 12, 2011 in Springfield, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) /

From 1967 to 1976, the NBA had legitimate competition in the form of the American Basketball Association. The ABA had a long-term goal of merging with the NBA, which it accomplished in 1976.

As a separate entity, it provided an eternal influence on the way the sport is played.

Brief as the ABA’s existence may have been, we’d be remiss to ignore the legends who made it as great as it was. The ABA’s influence can be traced to a number of different factors, and said players were of the utmost importance to that notoriety.

The ABA even introduced the shot that’s changing the NBA more than a decade before David Stern brought it in.

Related Story: NBA: 30 Greatest Ball Handlers of All-Time

When NBA legend George Mikan became the first ABA commissioner in 1967, he immediately introduced the 3-point field goal. For perspective, the NBA failed to bring that revolutionary shot to existence until 1979.

Thus, while some may dispute the notion that the talent levels were equal in the ABA and NBA, there were more than enough legends and stylistic contributions to warrant the following question.

Who is the greatest player in ABA history?

Next: No. 25