NBHHCM 2K11 to Honor 35th Anniversary of '76 NBA/ABA Merger

by Dunkadelic King23 | March 11, 2011 at 02:41 am

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The NBA (National Basketball Association) and ABA (American Basketball Association) agreed to merge leagues on June 17, 1976 in Hyannis, Massachusetts.

The merger of 1976 will be honored during NBHHCM (National Basketball & Hip-Hop Culture Month) 2K11 this up coming June.

NBHHCM was first proclaimed in June 2009 by former City of Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon.

The historic 35th Anniversary of the NBA/ABA merger will be joined by the 65th Anniversary (6/6/46-6/6/11) of the NBA being founded. Both events happened in the month of June.

The NBA was founded on June 6, 1946 in New York City, and the NBA/ABA merger was announced on June 17, 1976. That is exactly 11-days apart as both Anniversary celebrations will be honored during the year 2011.

The two combined Anniversary celebrations equals 100-years (65+35). This is the one and only time in NBA history that both the day the NBA was founded, and the announcement of the NBA/ABA merger will be able to celebrate the magical number of 100 together.

The NBA/ABA merger brought 4 ABA teams into the NBA.

The Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, New York (New Jersey) Nets, and San Antonio Spurs. The Kentucky Colonels and the Spirit of St. Louis were the two ABA teams that were not a part of the merger.

The San Antonio Spurs is the only one of the four former ABA teams to win an NBA Championship. The franchise has 4 NBA titles.

The NBA/ABA merger inspired the NBA to implement the 3-point shot in 1979. The NBA also saw more highlight-reel dunks when Julius "Dr. J" Erving became a member of the Philadelphia 76ers. Erving was the most electrifying player of his era, and he spent the first 5-years of his pro career in the ABA with Virginia Squires and New York Nets.

The ABA featured the first-ever Slam Dunk Contest at the 1976 ABA All-Star Game. Dr. J Erving shocked the world by taking-off from just inside the free-throw line to win the Slam Dunk Championship. The NBA introduced the Slam Dunk Contest at the 1984 NBA All-Star Weekend.

Dr. J led the Philadelphia 76ers to an NBA Championship in 1983. He spent his last 11-seasons (1976-87) of his pro career with the 76ers.

The NBA/ABA merger has a cool pop-culture twist. The movie classic 'Rocky' was released on July 4, 1976 exactly 17-days after the merger was announced on June 17, 1976.

The theme from Rocky is often played in NBA arenas with the game on the line during the end of games to spark the fans and the home-team.

The NBA/ABA merger is one of the most significant events in American sports history as it continues to have impact on the NBA game of today.