The Los Angeles Jets were an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

team based in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, founded by Jack Blanck and Len Corbosiero, that was a member of the American Basketball League in the league's 1961–62 season.

History

The American Basketball League played one full season,

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (K ...

–

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wor ...

, and part of the next season until the league folded on December 31, 1962. The ABL was the first basketball league to have a

three point shot A three-point field goal (also 3-pointer, three, or trey) is a field goal in a basketball game made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc surrounding the basket. A successful attempt is worth three points, in contrast to the two po ...

for baskets scored far away from the goal. Other rules that set the league apart were a 30-second shooting clock and a wider free throw lane, 18 feet instead of the standard 12. The American Basketball League was formed when Abe Saperstein did not get the Los Angeles

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

(NBA) franchise he sought. His Harlem Globetrotters had strong NBA ties. When

Minneapolis Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers franchise has a long and storied history, predating the formation of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Founded in 1947, the Lakers are one of the NBA's most famous and successful franchises. As of summer 2012, th ...

owner

Bob Short Robert Earl Short (July 20, 1917 – November 20, 1982) was an American businessman, sport teams owner, and politician. Background Short graduated from the College of Saint Thomas (now the University of St. Thomas) in Saint Paul, Minnesota, b ...

was permitted to move the Lakers to Los Angeles, Saperstein reacted by convincing

National Alliance of Basketball Leagues The National Alliance of Basketball Leagues (NABL) (founded 1961) is the descendant of the industrial-based basketball clubs that formed into the National Basketball League (NBL) in the early 1930s. History Origins in the 1930s The league was ...

(NABL) team owner Paul Cohen (Tuck Tapers) and

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...

(AAU) National Champion

Cleveland Pipers The Cleveland Pipers were an American industrial basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio in the 1950s and early 1960s. The Pipers are mostly known for having played in the short-lived American Basketball League from 1961–62. They were also a p ...

owner

George Steinbrenner George Michael Steinbrenner III (July 4, 1930July 13, 2010) was an American businessman who was the principal owner and managing partner of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees from 1973 until his death in 2010. He was the longest-serving own ...

to take the top NABL and AAU teams and players and form a rival league. League franchises were: the

Chicago Majors The Chicago Majors was a basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, that was a member of the American Basketball League from 1961 to 1963. History The American Basketball League played one full season, 1961–1962, and part of the next season un ...

(1961-1963);

(1961-1962); Kansas City Steers (1961–63); Long Beach Chiefs (1961-1963), as Hawaii Chiefs in 1961-62; Los Angeles Jets (1961–62, disbanded during season); Oakland Oaks (1961-1963, as San Francisco Saints in 1961-1962;

Philadelphia Tapers The Philadelphia Tapers were an American professional basketball team that played a partial 1962–1963 season in the American Basketball League (1961–62). It traces its history to the 1950s AAU New York Tapers. AAU New York Tapers Originall ...

1961-1963, as

Washington Tapers Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

in 1961-62; moved to New York during 1961-62 season; as

New York Tapers New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

in 1961-62 and the

Pittsburgh Rens The Pittsburgh Rens were an American basketball team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that was a member of the American Basketball League from 1961–1963. History The American Basketball League played one full season, 1961–1962, and pa ...

(1961-1963). The team's only coach was Bill Sharman. The assistant coach was Edwin A. "Scotty" McDonald, a former Loyola (of Los Angeles) coach, and coach of many AAU teams, NBA scout, and advisor. The team was competing for ticket buyers in a market that included the recently relocated Lakers, as well as the college teams of USC and UCLA. Partway through their first and only season, with a respectable record of 24–15, the Jets franchise found itself unable to draw enough spectators to continue. The team disbanded during its only season on January 18, 1962. The Jets played at both the

Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena The Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena was a multi-purpose arena at Exposition Park, in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. It was located next to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and just south of the campus of the University of ...

and

Olympic Auditorium The Grand Olympic Auditorium is a former sports venue in southern Downtown Los Angeles, California. The venue was built in 1924 at 1801 South Grand Avenue, now just south of the Santa Monica Freeway. The grand opening of the Olympic Auditorium ...

in Los Angeles.

Year-by-year

Game log

October

Record: 1-1 ; Home: 1-0 ; Road: 0-1

November

Record: 7-7 ; Home: 3-3; Road: 2-3; Neutral: 2-1

December

Record: 12-5 ; Home: 5-2 ; Road: 5-3 ; Neutral: 2-0

January

Record: 4-2 ; Home: 3-0 ; Road: 0-1 ; Neutral: 1-1

References

{{Reflist American Basketball League (1961–62) teams Jets Defunct basketball teams in California Basketball teams established in 1961 Sports clubs disestablished in 1963 1961 establishments in California 1963 disestablishments in California