ABA All-Time Team
The ABA All-Time Team were chosen in 1997 on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the founding of the American Basketball Association. It comprised the 30 best and most influential players of the ABA during its ten years and nine full regular seasons of operation, with respect not only to performance at the professional level but in consideration of sportsmanship, team leadership, and contributions to the growth of the league basketball, and irrespective of positions played. Only players to have played at least a portion of their careers in the ABA were eligible for selection, although performance in other leagues, most notably the National Basketball Association was ostensibly considered. Selected and announced beside the all-time team were a most valuable player and top head coach.
The team, announced in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, on August 23, 1997, in conjunction with an ABA reunion, was compiled based upon unranked voting undertaken by 50 selected panelists, amongst whom were members of the print and broadcast news media to have reported on and announced games for the ABA, former referees, former team owners, former league executives, and selected fans and statisticians; former players, even those to have held other positions within the league, were proscribed from voting.
Players
Team
First team
Of the 30 players elected to the first team, three served primarily as point guards during their ABA service, eight as shooting guards, five as small forwards, eight as power forwards, and six as centers. The franchises most represented were the Virginia Squires, with eleven first team players' having played at least one game for one or more iterations of the franchise; Utah Stars, eight players; Indiana Pacers, seven players; San Antonio Spurs, six players; Denver Nuggets, five players; and Spirits of St. Louis, five players.Five players elected to the first team—Rick Barry, Billy Cunningham, Julius Erving, George Gervin, and Moses Malone—were named one year earlier to the NBA's 50 Greatest Players list.
| Name | Position | Team played for | Championships won | Award won | Year of Hall of Fame induction as player | Votes | Ref. |
| F/C | Spirits of St. Louis | - | ABA Rookie of the Year All-Rookie First Team All-ABA Second Team | - | 23 | ||
| F | Oakland Oaks Washington Capitals New York Nets | 1969 | All-ABA First Team | 1987 | 39 | ||
| C | Utah Stars | 1971 | ABA Playoffs Most Valuable Player Award All-ABA Second Team | 2016 | 42 | ||
| G/F | Dallas Chaparrals Utah Stars Spirits of St. Louis | 1971 | All-ABA First Team All-ABA Second Team | - | 35 | ||
| F/G | Indiana Pacers Memphis Sounds Utah Stars | 1970, 1972, 1973 | ABA Playoffs Most Valuable Player Award All-ABA First Team All-ABA Second Team | 2013 | 50 | ||
| G | Los Angeles Stars The Floridians Carolina Cougars Denver Nuggets Virginia Squires | - | All-Rookie First Team All-ABA First Team All-ABA Second Team | - | 41 | ||
| G | Kentucky Colonels Memphis Tams | - | - | - | 24 | ||
| F/C | Carolina Cougars | - | ABA Most Valuable Player Award All-ABA First Team | 1986 | 36 | ||
| G | Kentucky Colonels | 1975 | All-Rookie First Team All-ABA Second Team | 2015 | 50 | ||
| C | Minnesota Muskies Indiana Pacers Memphis Sounds | 1970, 1972, 1973 | ABA Rookie of the Year ABA Most Valuable Player Award All-ABA First Team All-ABA Second Team | 2012 | 50 | ||
| F/G | Virginia Squires New York Nets | 1974, 1976 | ABA Most Valuable Player Award ABA Playoffs Most Valuable Player Award All-ABA First Team All-ABA Second Team All-Rookie First Team All-Defensive First Team | 1993 | 50 | ||
| G | Minnesota Muskies Miami Floridians Utah Stars Texas Chaparrals Indiana Pacers San Antonio Spurs | 1973 | All-ABA First Team All-ABA Second Team | - | 30 | ||
| G/F | Virginia Squires San Antonio Spurs | - | All-ABA Second Team | 1996 | 50 | ||
| C | Kentucky Colonels | 1975 | Rookie of the Year ABA Most Valuable Player Award All-ABA First Team All-Defensive First Team All-Rookie First Team ABA Playoffs Most Valuable Player Award | 2011 | 50 | ||
| Forward | Pittsburgh Pipers | 1968 | 1968 Most Valuable Player Award ABA Playoffs Most Valuable Player Award First team: 1967-68, 1968-69 Second team: None | 1992 | 40 | ||
| C | Denver Rockets | - | 1970 ABA Most Valuable Player Award 1969-70 ABA Rookie of the Year 1970 ABA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award First team: 1969-70 Second team: None | 2015 | 34 | ||
| F | Kentucky Colonels Denver Nuggets | 1975 | 1970-71 ABA Rookie of the Year ABA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award First team: 1971-72 Second team: 1970-71, 1972-73, 1973-74, 1974-75 | 1993 | 50 | ||
| G | Oakland Oaks Washington Capitals Indiana Pacers The Floridians Denver Rockets San Diego Conquistadors | 1969 | ABA Playoffs Most Valuable Player Award 1968-69 ABA Rookie of the Year 1972-73 All-Star Game Most Valuable Player First team: 1972-73 Second team: None | - | 24 | ||
| G | New Orleans Buccaneers Memphis Pros Utah Stars | - | First team: 1968-69, 1972-73, 1973-74 Second team: None | - | 27 | ||
| G | Indiana Pacers Memphis Sounds Spirits of St. Louis | 1970, 1972, 1973 | 1971-72 ABA Playoffs Most Valuable Player 1975 ABA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award | - | 38 | ||
| F | Spirits of St. Louis Kentucky Colonels | - | - | - | 26 | ||
| C | Utah Stars Spirits of St. Louis | - | - | 2001 | 30 | ||
| F | Indiana Pacers | 1972, 1973 | ABA Playoffs Most Valuable Player Award 1974-75 ABA Most Valuable Player Award First team: 1973-74, 1974-75 Second team: 1972-73 | 2017 | 44 | ||
| F | New Orleans Buccaneers Oakland Oaks Carolina Cougars Virginia Squires | 1969 | First team: 1967-68 Second team: 1968-69 | - | 35 | ||
| F | Indiana Pacers Dallas Chaparrals San Antonio Spurs | 1970, 1972 | First team: None Second team: 1969-70 | - | 35 | ||
| C | New York Nets San Antonio Spurs | 1974 | - | - | 30 | ||
| G | Virginia Squires | - | 1970-71 ABA Rookie of the Year First team: 1970-71 Second team: 1971-72 | 2018 | 29 | ||
| G | Dallas Chaparrals San Antonio Spurs | - | First team: 1975-76 Second team: 1974-75 | - | 30 | ||
| G | Denver Nuggets | - | ABA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award 1975-76 ABA Rookie of the Year First team: None Second team: 1975-76 | 1996 | 28 | ||
| F | Los Angeles Stars Utah Stars Virginia Squires | 1971 | First team: None Second team: 1971-72, 1973-74 Defensive team: 1971-72, 1973-74 | - | 32 |
Others receiving votes
Ninety-eight players received at least one vote. In addition to those who were selected, 12 players earned votes from at least 25 percent of voters:| Player | Position primarily played | ABA team played for | All-ABA honors won | Year of Hall of Fame induction as player | Votes accrued | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Billy Keller | PG | Indiana Pacers | - | - | 21 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Larry Brown | PG | New Orleans Buccaneers Oakland Oaks Washington Capitals Denver Rockets Virginia Squires | First team: None Second team: 1967-68 | - | 19 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bobby Jones | PF | Denver Nuggets | First team: None Second team: 1975-76 Defensive team: 1974-75, 1975–76 | 2019 | 19 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| John Williamson | SG | New York Nets | - | - | 19 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Steve Jones | SF | Oakland OaksMost valuable playerOnly four players received votes from the 50 panelists as the league's all-time most valuable player; small forward Julius Erving was the clear winner of the award.
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