ABA – Page 7 – From Way Downtown

Rick Barry Discusses: Is the ABA As Good as the NBA? 1973

The National Basketball Association is better than the American Basketball Association, but it is no longer a great deal better.

Louie Dampier: The Little Colonel Marches On . . . and On, 1975

He isn’t getting older; he’s getting better, as they say.

Bobby Jones: The Game I’ll Never Forget, 1975

I really couldn’t believe that last shot had gone in.

Rick Barry: He Lost a Battle and Won the War, 1968

There is no record of any NBA player ever having successfully played out his option, although the discontent among the NBA players has been a matter of public knowledge for years.

A Year in the Life of Willie Wise, 1971

Willie is a proud man, but years of being disregarded took their toll.

Jim Ard: In a Pressure Cooker, 1974

For the time being, Ard is putting all the ifs and buts out of his mind. His wife, daughter, and now nine-month-old son are arriving tomorrow, and, when the furniture gets here, they’ll move into an apartment he’s rented in Peabody.

Artis Gilmore: Sleeping Giant of Florida, 1966

Artis is Florida’s sleeping giant. He’s been blessed with height, hindered by inexperience, and hurt by lack of exposure.

Another Quiet Thursday Night with the Miami Floridians, 1971

Oh, what a night it was. Virginia Squires vs. Miami Floridians

Joe Caldwell: Can I Get a Witness, 1975, 1993

The boycott of Caldwell was an extreme form of intimidation because it destroyed the career of an established, star player.

Billy Cunningham: Tale of Two Leagues, 1974

“It’s a different life four months a year. I get up when I want to. I don’t play basketball at all. I visit friends and stay with my family. As a professional, I live in two different worlds. I live two different lives.”