
The original ABA was founded in 1967, competing with the well-established National Basketball Association,
until the ABA–NBA merger in 1976. According to one of the owners of the
Indiana Pacers, its goal was to force a merger with the more
established league. Potential investors were told that they could get an
ABA team for half of what it cost to get an NBA expansion team at the
time. When the merger occurred, ABA officials said their investment...