The

1976–77 NBA season The 1976–77 NBA season was the 31st season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Portland Trail Blazers winning their first NBA Championship in franchise history, beating the Philadelphia 76ers in six games in the 1 ...

was the Spurs first season in the NBA. Months earlier, the Spurs were part 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 ...

(Six in

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

and three in San Antonio). The ABA had ended its ninth and last campaign. Of the seven remaining ABA teams, four joined the NBA: the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

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 ...

, Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs. The Kentucky Colonels and Spirits of St. Louis agreed to take a cash settlement and cease operations. Immediately, the ABA players were dispersed across the new 22-team league. The other ABA teams from the prior season were all folded prior to the

ABA–NBA merger The ABA–NBA merger was a major pro sports business maneuver in 1976 when the American Basketball Association (ABA) combined with the National Basketball Association (NBA), after multiple attempts over several years. The NBA and ABA had entered ...

: the Baltimore Claws, Utah Stars, San Diego Sails and Virginia Squires. The Spurs made their debut on October 22 stunning the 76ers in Philadelphia by a score of 121–118.San Antonio Spurs (1973–Present)
/ref> Afterwards, the Spurs would win just 1 of their next 7 games. In November, the Spurs would win 6 straight. By February the Spurs were 10 games over .500, and were the NBA's highest scoring team at 115 points per game. Despite the offensive flash, the Spurs also had the league's worst defense at 114 points per game as they struggled to finish in 3rd place in the Central Division with a record of 44–38. In the playoffs, the Spurs were swept in 2 straight by the defending world champion Boston Celtics.

Offseason

NBA draft

Neither the Spurs, Indiana Pacers, New York Nets or Denver Nuggets were allowed to participate in the 1976 NBA draft.

ABA Dispersal Draft

The

merged with the NBA in 1976. Of the teams remaining in the ABA, four joined the NBA. The two teams, the Kentucky Colonels and Spirits of St. Louis, which folded had their players assigned to a dispersal draft for draft purposes.

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

October

Record: 2–4; home: 1–1; road: 1–3 1976–77 San Antonio Spurs Games – Basketball-Reference.com
/ref>

November

Record: 9–5; home: 8–0; road: 1–5

December

Record: 7–7; home: 4–1; road: 3–6

Playoffs

, - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 1 , April 12 , @

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

L 94–104
, Kenon, Gervin (20) , Billy Paultz (10) , Louie Dampier (5) , Boston Garden
13,505 , 0–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 2 , April 15 ,

L 109–113
, George Gervin (30) , three players tied (7) , Mike Gale (7) , HemisFair Arena
12,067 , 0–2 , -

Player statistics

Ragular season

Playoffs

Awards and records

* George Gervin, All-NBA Second Team

References

Spurs on Basketball Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:1976-77 San Antonio Spurs Season San Antonio Spurs seasons San Antonio San Antonio San Antonio