OR (alternate title) There would be no Steph Curry, Lebron James, Michael Jordan, or a Three Point and Slam Dunk Contest in the NBA without the ABA
The season before four ABA teams joined (New Jersey nee New York Nets, Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs, and Denver Nuggets) the NBA; this finals game between the Boston Celtics and the Phoenix Suns that aired on CBS TV was considered to be the most exciting game in NBA history because it went three overtimes. (You hear Brent Musburger and Rick Barry on the call.) But was it really without the histrionics by Musburger and the referees?
But now Prime Video steps in to document what was really happening in the more exciting league, the ABA, from 1967 to 1976.
Prime Video’s major docuseries titled Soul Power: The Legend of the American Basketball Association, has been released. The doc had its debut on February 12, 2026 and viewers can watch it exclusively on Prime Video in over 240 countries and territories worldwide.
The series chronicles the history and legacy of the American Basketball Association (ABA); the NBA’s rival basketball league that operated from 1967 to 1976 and had a profound impact on professional basketball today.
The Executive Producers of the series are Julius Erving (“Dr. J” ), Common, George Karl (NBA Hall of Famer & former ABA player), Todd Lieberman, Brett Goldberg, Scott Tarter of Dropping Dimes Foundation.
Did you know?
In 1973, Wilt Chamberlain left the Lakers and retired from the NBA to become player-coach of the San Diego Conquistadors, but the Lakers’ ownership sued, saying Wilt was still “Laker property,” allowing him to only coach and not play in the ABA.
Connie Hawkins, a New York City playground legend, was Dr. J before Dr. J. Some even compare him to Magic Johnson for his playmaking abilities. He played for the Pittsburgh Pipers before landing in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns in the early 1970’s.
As a 18-year-old freshman at the University of Iowa in 1961, Hawkins was implicated in a point-shaving scandal after it was revealed he had borrowed $200 from Jack Molinas, a known fixer. Hawkins was never arrested or indicted. He was a freshman and therefore ineligible to play in varsity games, meaning he could not have shaved points. Despite this, he was expelled from Iowa, and the NBA subsequently blackballed him. Unable to play in the NBA, Hawkins joined the ABA, six years later, in 1967 and became one of its top players.
Check out Dr. J’s interview on the Today Show and the series on Prime.
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