When people think about the ABA, they usually think about Dr. J and the iconic red, white and blue basketball.
But the story they don’t think about is the one told in the new documentary The Waiting Game, and it’s a story that basketball fans need to know.
The film project came together after creator Michael Husain met the co-founder of the not-for-profit organization “Dropping Dimes” in his home state of Indiana.
“They were formed to help struggling ABA guys,” Michael told me in our interview. “And the first thing I told him was ‘The ABA guys are struggling financially? I didn’t know that.'”
Not many know about that struggle, but it’s a reality many former players are facing.
To understand the life challenges faced by these former pro players, you must first know about the history of the ABA, particularly its merger with the NBA in 1976.
When the league first started in 1967, it was constructed to fill the void of basketball in cities not housing one of the 10 NBA teams. Once former NBA player George Mikan was appointed as its first commissioner, the league created more separation between the two leagues by focusing on entertainment, with high flying dunks, up tempo play, high scoring games, three-pointers, players with catchy nicknames and, of course, the iconic red, white and blue basketball, which, unfortunately, was never copyrighted.
After a few years, the ABA could see things weren’t going to last, so on June 17th, 1976, a merger with the NBA was announced, the latter taking the following four teams- the Denver Nuggets, the Indiana Pacers, the New York Nets (eventually becoming the Brooklyn Nets) and the San Antonio Spurs.
Three teams not absorbed were the Virginia Squires, the Kentucky Colonels and the Spirits of St. Louis.
The Squires went bankrupt before the merger. The Colonels received a $3.3 million payout and the Spirits negotiated the legendary payout of $2.2 million plus 1/7 of a share of each of the four remaining ABA (now NBA) teams’ television rights in perpetuity, which turned out to be a total windfall of $800 million over the life of the deal.
The merger gave players longer careers, kept basketball in key cities and, most interestingly, gave ABA team owners the ability to now own NBA franchises.
So while the owners and some players did well, other players weren’t as lucky for after the dispersal draft that August, many ABA players were left off NBA rosters.
And that’s where the problems arose.
“Guys were really struggling [after the 1976 merger],” said Michael. “Not just what you might expect- you’ve heard stories about guys who’ve just mismanaged money- this was much deeper. These were guys who hadn’t made a lot of money in their playing days anyway.
“And when the two leagues combined in 1976, many guys had been misguided in what they thought was in that [merger] agreement and they winded up with no benefits at all- no retirement benefits, no healthcare, nothing.”
So these players, who now are in their 60s, 70s and 80s, are struggling. Some are homeless and many can’t afford medication.
That’s where Dropping Dimes entered the picture to help these once great athletes obtain what they rightfully deserve.
When Michael first sat down with the organization in 2021, they felt a deal with the NBA was imminent, so he thought the story would become a short video feature.
However, after months and then years of little to no progress, he knew the story was much bigger, and this long delay became the inspiration for The Waiting Game.
As time progressed, some of the players passed away, “so the urgency became louder and louder,” said Michael.
One of the players that jumpstarted the project was Sam Smith, a five-year ABA player who was also one of the first three Black recruits at the University of Louisville. He later transferred to Kentucky Wesleyan and won an NCAA DII National title in 1966.
In 2022, Sam got very sick but lacked both healthcare and a pension. After the founders at Dropping Dimes got to know him, learn his story and help him, his plight helped shine the light on what many of his former ABA brothers were experiencing and, more sadly, lacking.
Once his story was learned, the issues former players were facing went viral.
“Understanding them [ABA guys] through Sam, I saw just what the struggle looked like, and we couldn’t stop following them,” said Michael.
The Waiting Game is a lesson in sports, history, finance and humanity, one where you can learn about players like Sam Smith, George “The Ice Man” Gervin and how Spencer Haywood and his lawsuit opened the doors for players like Kobe, LeBron and other teenage players.
It showcases how influential the league was in basketball and how talented the players were.
“In 1977, a year after the two leagues combines, 10 of the 24 players in the NBA Finals that year were ABA guys. The All-Star game, at least half the players were ABA guys. So these guys were as good, if not better, than NBA guys,” said Michael.
It features interviews with Dr. J, Bob Costas, Dr. Harry Edwards, former players and those who have covered the story of the ABA and its struggling athletes.
Viewers will also see how the ABA presented opportunities for Black players as the NBA wasn’t widely integrated as of yet (and the NBA hadn’t embraced Black culture as of yet, according to Michael).
“Just culturally, and from a business sense, not to mention what happened on the court, the ABA was so influential. Such an important time of change for not only basketball, but professional sports,” he said.
The Waiting Game explores the frustration experienced by players who swore they were covered in their ABA contracts, verbiage which is being scrutinized by the NBA.
Excluding names like Erving, Gervin, Haywood, David Thompson, Rick Barry, Dan Issel, Louie Dampier and George McGuiness and the players who were picked up in the expansion draft, dozens and dozens of other players who were left out after the merger, and those are the players the documentary features as they are the ones in most need of support.
The ABA is what modern day basketball is- the talent, the culture and the game play. It was all birthed in 1967.
But unlike today’s players, far too many ABA players have wrongfully been forgotten or ignored, and that’s what The Waiting Game looks to right.
“It’s a matter of recognition and respect for those people,” said Michael.
While Sam, who passed away in May 2022, didn’t live to see the moment he waited decades for, hopefully the film helps out his brothers who are still struggling today.
And hopefully after the film catches steam, the waiting game faced by the former ABA players will be no more.
The Waiting Game is available exclusively on Reelist.stream, a new streaming service dedicated to showing independent documentaries. There’s currently a 2 month free trial at sign up.
Films can be screened online or on your TV by downloading the Reelist app via Roku, Amazon Fire, Android TV/mobile or Apple TV.
