The 1973–74 ABA season was the seventh season of the
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. The upstart ABA operated in direct competition with the more established National Basketball Association thr ...
. The
New York Nets
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995
* "New" (Daya song), 2017
* "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...
won the ABA championship, 4 games to 1 over the
Utah Stars
The Utah Stars were an American Basketball Association (ABA) team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Under head coach Bill Sharman the Stars were the first major professional basketball team to use a pre-game shootaround.
History prior to moving to ...
.
Only one franchise move occurred from the previous season, and it stayed in state. The
Dallas Chaparrals
The Dallas Chaparrals were a charter member of the American Basketball Association (ABA). The team moved to San Antonio, Texas, for the 1973–74 season and were renamed the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs joined the National Basketball Association ...
were purchased by
Angelo Drossos and were moved to San Antonio and renamed the
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...
.
Teams
Map of teams
Final standings
Eastern Division
Western Division
Asterisk (*) denotes playoff team (the Conquistadors and the Rockets played a one-game playoff to settle the tie for the final playoff spot, which the Conquistadors won)
Bold – ABA champions
Regular season
Julius Erving
Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American former professional basketball player. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and he was the best-known player ...
was named league MVP with 49 votes to
Artis Gilmore's nine votes.
Playoffs
Awards and honors
*
ABA Most Valuable Player Award:
Julius Erving
Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American former professional basketball player. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and he was the best-known player ...
, New York Nets
* Rookie of the Year:
Swen Nater, San Antonio Spurs
* Coach of the Year:
Babe McCarthy, Kentucky Colonels &
Joe Mullaney, Utah Stars
* Playoffs MVP:
Julius Erving
Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American former professional basketball player. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and he was the best-known player ...
, New York Nets
* All-Star Game MVP:
Artis Gilmore, Kentucky Colonels
* Executive of the Year:
Jack Ankerson, San Antonio Spurs
*All-ABA First Team
**
Julius Erving
Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American former professional basketball player. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and he was the best-known player ...
, New York Nets (2nd First Team selection, 3rd overall selection)
**
George McGinnis
George F. McGinnis (August 12, 1950 – December 14, 2023) was an American professional basketball player who played 11 seasons in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball ...
, Indiana Pacers (1st First Team selection, 2nd overall selection)
**
Artis Gilmore, Kentucky Colonels (3rd selection)
**
Jimmy Jones,
Utah Stars
The Utah Stars were an American Basketball Association (ABA) team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Under head coach Bill Sharman the Stars were the first major professional basketball team to use a pre-game shootaround.
History prior to moving to ...
(3rd selection)
**
Mack Calvin, Carolina Cougars (2nd First Team selection, 3rd overall selection)
*All-ABA Second Team
**
Dan Issel, Kentucky Colonels (3rd Second Team selection, 4th overall selection)
**
Willie Wise, Utah Stars (2nd selection)
**
Swen Nater, San Antonio Spurs
**
Ron Boone
Ronald Bruce Boone (born September 6, 1946) is an American former professional basketball player. He had a 13-year career in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA). Boone set a record for most consecut ...
, Utah Stars
**
Louie Dampier
Louis Dampier (born November 20, 1944) is an American former professional basketball player. He played professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and American Basketball Association (ABA), primarily playing with the Kentucky Colo ...
, Kentucky Colonels (4th selection)
*All-Defensive Team
**
Mike Gale (2nd selection), Kentucky Colonels
**
Artis Gilmore (2nd selection), Kentucky Colonels
**
Julius Keye (2nd selection), Denver Rockets
**
Ted McClain, Carolina Cougars
**
Roland Taylor, Virginia Squires
**
Willie Wise (2nd selection), Utah Stars
*All-Rookie Team
**
Mike Green, Denver Rockets
**
Larry Kenon, New York Nets
**
Bo Lamar, San Diego Conquistadors
**
Swen Nater, Virginia Squires (traded to the San Antonio Spurs in November 1973)
**
John Williamson, New York Nets
References
Season summary on Basketball Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:1973-74 ABA season
ABA