The 1968–69

Miami Floridians The Miami Floridians, later in their history known simply as The Floridians, were a professional basketball franchise in the original, now-defunct American Basketball Association. The Miami Floridians played in the ABA from 1968 through 1970 wh ...

season was the first season of the Floridians in the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...

. The team had moved from Minnesota after one season as the Muskies. The Floridians finished one game behind the Pacers, for a second place finish. They faced the replacement for them in Minnesota, the Pipers. They beat them in a close 7 game series to set up a chance to go to the ABA Finals. In the Eastern Division Finals, they lost to the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

4 games to 1.

Roster

* 23 Andrew Anderson - Shooting guard * 20 Donnie Freeman - Shooting guard * 41 Les Hunter - Power forward * 24 Ervin Inniger - Shooting guard * 21 Willie Iverson - Point guard * 23 Nick Jones - Guard * 42 Gary Keller - Center * 22

Maurice McHartley Maurice Franklin McHartley (born August 1, 1942) is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) wa ...

- Point guard * 44

Willie Murrell Willie Vernon Murrell (September 13, 1941 – December 6, 2018) was an American professional basketball player. Murrell was born in Taft, Oklahoma. A 6'6" forward, he played at Kansas State University from 1962 to 1964. He averaged 20.6 points an ...

- Small forward * 22 Ron Perry - Point guard * 33

Don Sidle Donald Roy Sidle (June 21, 1946–May 25, 1987) was an American professional basketball player. A 6'8" forward/center, Sidle played at the University of Oklahoma from 1965 to 1968. He was an All-American in 1967 and 1968, after seasons in whi ...

- Power forward * 32

Dan Sparks Daniel D. Sparks (born July 5, 1968) is an American politician and former member of the Minnesota Senate. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), he represented District 27 which included all or portions of Dodge C ...

- Power forward * 43

Skip Thoren Duane W. "Skip" Thoren (born April 5, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player. At a height of 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) tall, he played at the center position. High school A native of Rockford, Illinois, Thoren attended Rockfor ...

- Center * 34 Dallas Thornton - Small forward

Final standings

Eastern Division

Playoffs

Eastern Division Semifinals vs.

Minnesota Pipers Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to i ...

''Floridians win series, 4–3'' Eastern Division Finals vs

''Floridians lose series, 4–1''

Awards and honors

1969 ABA All-Star Game The second American Basketball Association All-Star Game was played on January 28, 1969, at Louisville Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky before an audience at 5,407, between teams from the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference. ...

selections (game played on January 28, 1969) * Donnie Freeman * Les Hunter *

References

Floridians on Basketball Reference

External links

* ttp://www.remembertheaba.com/Floridians.html Miami Floridians page {{DEFAULTSORT:1968-69 Miami Floridians season Miami Floridians seasons Miami Miami Floridians, 1968-69 Miami Floridians, 1968-69