The League

The American Basketball Association (ABA) is a men’s semiprofessional basketball league. The league has grown to become the largest professional sports league in the world, no other league even approaches the ABA as it relates to size. In 1999 Joe Newman and Richard P. Tinkham founded the league. It is the re-launch of the original ABA which merged with the NBA in 1976. Tinkham co-founded both the original ABA and the Indiana Pacers.

The current ABA bears no direct relation to the original American Basketball Association that merged with the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1976. The present ABA bought the rights to the name from the NBA. The N.B.A., which owns the trademark to the A.B.A.,

Some Basic ABA information and rules.

• The ABA season runs from November through April (including playoffs).
• Teams are community driven, with a focus on giving back to their communities.
• The ABA has unique rules which allow for a faster pace leading to a higher scoring and more exciting event.
• Guard driven league results in 48 minutes of high paced action
• Half-Court violation: the ABA is 7 seconds opposed to 8 seconds in the NBA to get across the half-court line. If an ABA team is not successful in getting over the half-court line within 7 seconds, it results in a turnover which initiates the 3D light
• When the 3D Light is on: 2 pt. shots = 3 pts. | 3 pt. shots = 4 pts. | a half-court shot = 5 pts.
• Six Fouls leads to a technical foul and the ball | a player in the ABA cannot foul out of the game, but after six fouls it results in a technical and the opposing team gets the ball.