4 ABA Teams That Joined The NBA

New York Nets is one of the most successful ABA teams having won the championship twice in 1974 and 1976. The Nets came into existence in 1967.

As part of a new league, the American Basketball Association (ABA), they were initially called the New Jersey Americans and played their first season there.

But soon after, they moved to Long Island, New York, in 1968 and rebranded themselves as the New York Nets.

Besides, the Nets achieved great success, winning two championships in the ABA. They clinched their first trophy in 1974 after defeating the Western Division finalist, Utah Stars. Julius Erving was awarded the MVP of the playoffs that season.

In the last ABA season before a big change, the team got another special keepsake by winning against the Denver Nuggets. The Nets had also made it to the ABA Finals in 1972, but unfortunately, they could not clinch the victory, and the Indiana Pacers won the series with a 4-2 score.

As a result of their success, the Nets became a part of the NBA family during the ABA-NBA merger in 1976.

However, they decided to move back to New Jersey after just one season. They stayed there from 1977 to 2012, playing as the New Jersey Nets. But in 2012, they made another big move, this time to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and thus they got their current name, the Brooklyn Nets.

Throughout their time in the NBA, the Nets were among a handful of teams that have never won a championship. Their best seasons were in 2002 and 2003 when they reached back-to-back NBA Finals but lost on both occasions.

After moving to Brooklyn, the Nets made it to the playoffs eight times. They reached the Conference Semifinals in 2014 and 2021. They did make it to the playoffs in the 2022-23 season but were humbled by the Philadelphia 76ers in Round One.

Denver Nuggets began their basketball journey in 1967 when they joined the American Basketball Association (ABA) as the Denver Larks.

However, before their first season, they decided to change their name to the Rockets. They played their home games at the Denver Auditorium Arena and had a strong start, winning many matches.

Tracing back to the franchise's history, it takes us further back in time to 1948, during which the original Denver Nuggets were introduced to National Basketball League (NBL). However, it was disbanded after the 1949–50 season, thus giving rise to a new franchise the Denver Rockets.

In 1974, the Rockets decided to change their name again, this time becoming the Nuggets. The name change happened to prevent any confusion because there was already another team in the league called the Houston Rockets.

The team experienced some good times, making it to the playoffs every season during the ABA's existence but failed to win a championship title.

After the ABA-NBA merger, Denver joined NBA and during the 80s, they managed to enter the NBA playoffs for nine seasons in a row. Similarly, from 2004 to 2013, they achieved an impressive feat by qualifying for the playoffs for ten consecutive seasons.

Even though the Denver Nuggets won 10 division titles before, they had to wait until 2023 for their ultimate glory. As the Nuggets, with their star player Nikola Jokic leading the way, made it to their first NBA Finals.

They faced the Miami Heat and emerged victorious, clinching the franchise's first NBA championship.

Out of all four ABA teams in NBA, the Nuggets were the last one to make it to the NBA Finals. And they became the second former ABA team to win an NBA championship, with the Spurs being the first.

Indiana Pacers have outshined all other ABA basketball teams by winning three championships, making them the most successful club in ABA history.

During their time in the ABA league, the Pacers made it to the Finals five times. They were crowned champions three times and only faced defeat in two instances.

In 1969, the Pacers reached their first Finals but lost the title to the Oakland Oaks. However, they quickly bounced back and found success in the following three Finals in 1970, 1972, and 1973, emerging as champions in each of those years.

The Pacers got their name from Indiana state's past, the pace cars used at the Indianapolis 500, and the harness racing industry. These historical elements inspired the team's name.

The original ABA franchise, formed in 1967 unlike other clubs never in their history underwent a name change and has played as the Indiana Pacers from the beginning.

In the beginning, the Pacers faced financial struggles as they entered the NBA. However, with time, they managed to overcome these difficulties. During their first NBA season, they finished with a record of 36–46, securing the ninth position in the Western Conference rankings.

Since entering NBA in 1976, the Pacers have a lowkey record in the league, with zero championships and only one Conference title.

Reggie Miller considered the franchise's finest player, led the Pacers to the Finals in 2000, but they could not overcome the Los Angeles Lakers to win the championship.

Furthermore, in 2013 and 2014, they made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, but they faced tough losses against the Miami Heat both times and could not progress forward in the playoffs.

Indiana was left out of the playoffs spot in the 2022-23 season as they finished 11th in the leaderboard with a 35-47 record.

San Antonio Spurs is one of the prominent ABA teams that joined the NBA during the 1976 union. The Spurs team began its play in 1967 as the Dallas Chaparrals.

Out of four ABA teams that made it to the NBA, the Spurs had the least success in the ABA league. They never reached the finals or won the championship during their time in the ABA.

However, they emerged as the most triumphant franchise to come out of ABA winning the Larry O'Brien Trophy five times. The team's achievements have lined up with the time when Gregg Popovich became the head coach.

Back in 1967, the San Antonio Spurs had a different name, the Dallas Chaparrals. They were among 11 teams that began playing in the first season of the new ABA league. Then, in the 1970-71 season, they changed their name to Texas Chaparrals.

Moreover, in 1973, the team got a new identity, the San Antonio Gunslingers. But, even before they got a chance to play a single game with that name, they were quickly changed to the name we know them by today, the San Antonio Spurs.

The franchise secure its first NBA title in 1999 three seasons after Popovich took charge. He had assembled an elite group of players such as Tim Duncan, and David Robinson who were unstoppable during the late 90s and early 2000s era.

Since their famous victory in 1999, the Spurs have been NBA champions four times in the 21st century. They achieved their triumphs in 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014.

Unfortunately, the Spurs have been unable to grasp their winning form and finished the 2022-23 campaign at the bottom of the Western Conference with only 22 wins.

With the arrival of Victor Wembanyama joining the team for the 2023-24 season, the Spurs are hoping to get back on track and improve their performance.