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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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20. Marvin Barnes

Position: Power Forward
Years Active: 1974-1976
Team(s): Spirits of St. Louis
ABA Averages: 38.6 MPG, 24.1 PPG, 13.4 RPG, 4.7 ORPG, 2.8 APG, 1.9 BPG, 1.5 SPG
Accolades: All-ABA Second Team, 2x ABA All-Star, 1975 ABA Rookie of the Year

Many great players passed through the ABA, but very few were as iconic as Marvin Barnes. His ABA career was limited by the brevity of the league, as the merger occurred just two seasons after he joined the Spirits of St. Louis.

In just two ABA seasons, Barnes built one of the more impressive resumes in league history—a strange, but true reality.

Barnes was an All-Star in both of his ABA seasons, winning Rookie of the Year in 1975 and making an All-ABA Second Team appearance that same season. He averaged at least 24.0 points in both of his ABA seasons, and averaged an incredible 15.6 rebounds per game as a rookie.

Like many others on this list, Barnes made a high-profile snub of the NBA to join the ABA and heavily influenced the 1976 merger.

Barnes was selected at No. 2 overall in the 1974 NBA Draft, but opted against joining the team that drafted him. Instead, he chose life in the ABA, signing with the unforgettable Spirits of St. Louis and carving out a memorable two-year career.

Off-the-court issues cut his NBA career short, but when he was in the ABA, there were few players who managed to dominate in the manner Barnes did.

Next: No. 23