00:00They call it the ABA, the American Basketball Association.
00:04There was something fresh in the ABA.
00:08We've been ready to show y'all, man, what y'all was missing.
00:14And that sends everyone, really.
00:17We owe a great deal to the ABA.
00:20Pro basketball's most exciting new idea.
00:23It was way ahead of its time.
00:25Changed the history of the league.
00:27The NBA, they weren't ready for us, man.
00:31We're about to put on a show.
00:33The ABA emphasized innovation.
00:36It was all about doing things the NBA wasn't going to do.
00:40The most important contribution is the three-pointer.
00:43About the three-point shot.
00:44Rick Barry, let's fly with a three-point bomb. Bang!
00:47That's no step, Gary.
00:48He fires away. Bang!
00:50The slam dunk contest started in the ABA.
00:55Julius Irving walked so Michael Jordan could fly.
00:58Oh, my goodness!
01:00We had the flare collars, bell bottoms, platform shoes.
01:03We had the froze. They couldn't grow froze in the NBA.
01:07Ball players come out with soul.
01:08Soul is like a divine expression of who you are.
01:13ABA talent was comparable to the NBA.
01:15They had some good players.
01:17Moses Malone.
01:18George Gerben.
01:19Rick Barry.
01:20George McGinnis.
01:20Spencer Haywood.
01:21Dr. J gave the league credibility.
01:24My style was full speed ahead.
01:27Dr. J is a black superhero.
01:29Oh, man, he could fly.
01:34Ball players went through struggles, but you see the resilience.
01:39Basketball has always been an escape from the real world.
01:43It was the only thing in town where black people and white people mixed together.
01:48The leagues were rivals in the ABA.
01:50We were battling for our lives.
01:52These were my brothers.
01:53I was betrayed by my partners.
01:56The modern NBA came directly from the ABA.
01:59Looks a whole lot like the way we used to play in the ABA.
02:04This story has to be told.
02:06Time has marched on, but the memories are forever.
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