Sports Design Blog

No Longer Defunct Sports Leagues: The ABA

You know that Sports Design Blog is a big fan of the old ABA. The league had so much style, creativity and innovation that it is definitely one of my favorite subjects to discuss. How could you not love that great old red, white and blue ball?

It wasn't until a few years ago that I realized that the ABA had come back to life, at least in name. I was working on designing a logo and uniform set for a new minor league basketball team that was set to play at the US Bank Arena in Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Blaze.

The Blaze picked a logo, held a press conference, hired a coach, signed players and were able to play only a handful of games before they faded into Cincinnati minor league sports history and disappeared. It was then that I became aware of this "new" ABA.

The current ABA does seem to stake a claim to the history of the old ABA. The new ABA is a league that has over 50 franchises operating in all sorts of locations throughout the USA and around the world. Some of the cities also share an NBA team, but most are from markets not served by the NBA. The league has a wide variety of logo styles for its teams, some really good, others look like the team owner had their little brother design them. Many of the logos contain an image of the ABA red, white and blue basketball, in the great tradition of professional basketball logo design.

The ABA uses a modern version of the classic multi-colored ball in their games. The current ABA ball contains the league's original red, white and blue colors, with a twist on the old version. The new ball has ten panels alternating between the three colors. The two extra panels give the ball a very unique appearance. You still get the feel of the original ABA ball, but you know something is different about it.

So, now you know that technically the ABA still exists. The league will never see the likes of a Dr. J of George Gervin gracing their courts, but a small piece of the spirit of the old rebel league still exists. You can find more information about the modern ABA here at their official website.

Great ABA Uniforms

The ABA is a league that is so ripe for columns about sports design. The league featured the greatest ball design of all-time, some of the craziest logos in all of sports history, great characters who played in the league, and some really great uniform designs. Today I wanted to take a look at some of my favorite ABA uniforms. The website RememberTheABA.com is a great source for information on the ABA and has some great uniform galleries to check out. Here are a few of my favorites from the ABA:

Kentucky Colonels 1975:

I have to include the Colonel on my list, simply because I hail from the Bluegrass State and the Colonels are the closest thing to professional sports my great state has had in its history. The Colonels 1975 uniform set featured the team's trademark red, white and blue colors. The striping pattern on these jerseys was a unique design that stretched up under the arms and completely over the top, around the neck and back down the other side. This striping created a very unique look for the Colonels 1975 uniform set.

New York Nets 1976:

Next up is the New York Nets uniform from 1976. This uniform is one of the more familiar from the old ABA, as it is forever burned into our minds because of Dr. J, Julius Erving. The Doctor spent his best years in the ABA sporting this classic American uniform design. Many images come to mind of the Doctor taking the ball to the hoop with that trademark afro while playing for the Nets. The jersey featured a stars and stripe pattern down the left side front panel. It is another great example of the unique ways some teams in the ABA used striped patterns on their jerseys. Of course, this design made the transition to the NBA when the Nets joined the league, making it a look that spanned both leagues. Definitely one of the true ABA classics.

San Antonio Spurs: 1975:

The Spurs jersey from 1975 is another classic jersey from the ABA that made its way into the NBA. This jersey is on my list, mainly because the Spurs current unifrom set isn't all that different than this classic design. The arched Spurs logo with a spur in the middle has undergone some modifications since then, but still remains based on this classic look. The team wore a throwback set a few years ago that were based on this look. The Spurs colors of black and silver are classic (forgetting the Fiesta years) and have been with the team since these uniforms debuted. This uniform was worn by one of the team's all-time greats, George "The Iceman" Gervin.

Denver Nuggets 1976:

This Denver Nuggets look from 1976 is a very unique style from the ABA. What made this jersey unique from any other is the fact that the front of the jersey featured the team's logo above the numbers, rather than the traditional team name. Your eyes are not trained to see a logo like that on a jersey in that spot. This classic look was worn by Nuggets greats like David Thompson and Dan Issel. This is definitely one of the more unique jersey designs in basketball uniform history.

The Floridians 1972:

This classic ABA look of the Floridians is definitely like no other in basketball history. The jersey was unique in many ways. First, the jersey had no lettering or team name of any kind on the front. The jerseys only graphics were the wild colored stripes that spanned the left side of the jersey. The number was placed high up on the right chest, in another unique style choice. The team was once known as the Miami Floridians, but were referred to as simply "the Floridians" in their last season since they played games throughout Florida. In addition to being remembered for these classic uniforms, the team was also famous for their scantily clad ball girls and unique promotions. You can find more info on the Floridians here.

Old School Design: Julius "The Doctor" Erving

In today's Old School Design, I wanted to take a look at one of my favorite old school players, Julius Erving. The Doctor was not only an innovator on the court, but was also the poster child for 1970's sports style and design. Nobody can forget the image of Dr. J flying to the hoop in the ABA with that trademark afro. His look with the Nets in the ABA was a thing of beauty. This classic Sports Illustrated cover features the Doctor in his ABA days with the New York Nets driving past a Denver Nuggets player who is sporting a great retro ABA look. I can't get enough of that classic ABA red, white and blue basketball.

This cover is from a 1974 issue. The image of Dr. J captures all that made him a dynamic on-court magician and a player with great style. The classic New York Nets uniform, colored kneepads, striped socks and classic shoes give the Doctor his legendary look. This image captures his signature playing style as well as his signature fashion style.

In 1976, the Doctor brought his signature look and style to the NBA, when the New York Nets joined the NBA along with the Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers after the demise of the ABA. The Doctor injected the NBA with a great dose of the style and flair that made the ABA so great and the rest is basketball history. His Hall of Fame basketball career speaks for itself, but my appreciation of Dr. J is also rooted in the classic style he brought to the court.

Old School Design: ABA Kentucky Colonels

Today's Old School Design sticks with the beverage theme that was started yesterday and takes a look at a classic ABA RC Cola bottle from the mid 1970's. The bottle features the 1975 ABA Champion Kentucky Colonels. The front of the bottle has the Colonels primary logo, the KC surrounding the classic ABA ball. The Colonels were one of the ABA's most successful franchises, and were one of the last teams that did not make the cut when the NBA absorbed the Spurs, Pacers, Nets and Nuggets.

The back panel on this classic piece of ABA history has a panel with autographs from the Colonels players. Some of the more familiar names on this panel include Dan Issel, Louie Dampier, Hubie Brown and Stan Albeck. There are a few classic ABA names as well, like Bird Averitt, Ted "the Hound" McClain and Ron "the Plumber" Thomas.

Old School Design: ABA Basketball Cards

Today's Old School Design takes a few topics I've discussed over the last week or so and continues down that road, looking at some great ABA basketball cards from the very early 1970's. The ABA's style and flair was the thing of legend and these cards are great reminders of the long lost league. The image above is a set of Topps ABA basketball cards from 1972. The designs on these cards are true early 70's style. The psychedelic font and the bright primary colors dominate the designs. The Joe Hamilton cards features the one-day-to-be-San Antonio Spurs team, the Chaparrals. Mack Calvin's Floridians uniform features a color scheme like no other. I'm not sure why the Floridians logo appears on the card, as the logos are not on many of the cards from that year.

These cards are from the 1973 Topps basketball card set. The Squires card in the middle features the first appearance of the Doctor in the ABA with the Virginia Squires. This image of a young Dr. J is a classic shot of him in his earliest team colors preparing to shoot one of his many Hall of Fame jumpshots. This would be the last year you would see the Chaparrals, as they would become the San Antonio Spurs for the next season. In classic 1970's design style, the Bob Netolicki card features him in his Indiana Pacers colors from the previous season. You have to love the name Bob Netolicki! The cards once again feature bright 70's colors and thick stylish fonts. Is it just me or did the teams in the ABA have a little trouble with number spacing on their jerseys?

For 1974, the design of the Topps cards had become much more simple. Gone were the crazy fonts and bright primary colored backgrounds. The cards featured a much simpler design with a simple team name and a basketball and net graphic to the left with the player's position. The cards still featured great ABA imagery. It looks like each player was led into an empty room for their photo shoot. One oddity with this set's design is that the team name on the card was not necessarily depicted in team colors, but was featured in random colors. The Colonels never used yellow and the San Diego Q's were not blue. The Mike Gale card gives us a great example of the classic ABA hairstyle, which leads to the next image in our series.

Nobody will debate that the ABA featured some of the most interesting examples of male grooming in the history of professional sports. I think the images on these cards speak for themselves and give us a great look at the personal grooming styles of the early 1970's.

I hope you enjoyed this little trip down basketball memory lane, there's more like this to come in future Old School Design articles!

Old School Design: Classic ABA Logos

In today's Old School Design, I wanted to take a look at some classic logo designs from the old American Basketball Association. The ABA was one of the most visually creative sports leagues ever created. The logos were classic over-the-top 1970's style designs and reflected the unique personality of this great league. The league was loaded with great logo designs, and here are a few of my favorites.

Virginia Squires

The Virginia Squires were probably best known for being the first professional team for a certain future NBA Hall-of-Famer, Julius Erving. In addition to being the first stop in the Doctor's career, the Squires were also known for giving him away to the New York Nets. From there, we all know the story of the career of the Doctor, becoming one of the all-time greats in the history of the sport. The Squires had several interesting looks throughout their history. This logo from the 1971-74 era shows your classic patriotic figure holding the famous red, white and blue ABA ball. (a theme that was common among ABA logos)

Memphis Tams

Any time you use a hat as your logo, you know you have a unique classic. The Memphis ABA team had several team names and incarnations, but this logo is by far their best. The team sported some seriously 70's green and yellow colors and used the classic Tam as their logo. Classic 1970's design style and a hat for a mascot makes this logo one of the best in the short history of the league.

Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets were one of four teams that survived the demise of the ABA and merged with the NBA along with the San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers and New York/New Jersey Nets. This logo was used by the Nuggets from 1974-76 and shows a Yukon Cornelius style prospector happy about finding an ABA basketball. The logo is particularly interesting because of the prospector's high striped socks, short shorts and serious beard. The letter style of the team was also classic 1970's style and continued on in their early NBA days. The Nuggets have had many interesting looks over the years, and this classic ABA style was one of the best.

Minnesota Muskies

This logo is one of the earliest in the ABA. The Minnesota Muskies only played one season in the ABA (1967-68) and moved to Miami to become the Miami Floridians the next year. The Muskies actually played in the Eastern Division playoff finals in their only year of existence. The logo features a fierce fish, the Muskie, which is a popular game fish in Minnesota. Not many teams can use a fish for a logo and pull it off. The Minnesota Muskie's threatening demeanor makes this logo an American Basketball Association classic for sure.

Kentucky Colonels

This is the logo that the Kentucky Colonels used from their start in 1968 until 1970. I am a Kentucky guy, and this logo is everything that the rest of the country associates with Kentucky. The old southern gentleman is dressed in his basketball gear holding his horseshoe, being followed by his loyal dog. This logo didn't really do a whole lot to move the image of Kentucky forward. The sheer silliness of the design makes this one a classic. Thankfully the Colonels switched to a more stylized KC logo in 1971, leaving the hillbilly Colonel behind.

Baltimore Claws

The Baltimore Claws have one of the craziest stories of any ABA team. When the Memphis team had failed, it was sold to some shady investors in Baltimore and was named the Hustlers. The ABA was not particularly fond of the Hustlers name so the team changed its name to the Claws. After many shady trades and business deals, the team only ended up playing three exhibition games in 1975 before disappearing. You can learn more about the Claws here. The logo shares the same colors that the Memphis Tams had used and features a crab that forms a C surrounding the ABA ball. A classic logo for sure, but an even better ABA franchise story.

I hope you enjoyed this look at classic ABA logo design. If you want to find more about the old ABA, there is a fantastic site called Remember the ABA that has a treasure chest of league history and information.