By 1972, the NBA, officially founded in 1949, had matured. In 1972, the 22nd All-Star game took place and while it was still very old-school, you could see things starting to change. Dave Cowens and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were playing. The Boston Celtics had become John Havlicek’s team; he was here too.
Connie Hawkins, who had unjustly missed much of his prime, was there. So too was Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson and Jerry West.
The new era was just getting started, but the progenitor, Julius Erving,
would start his career in the ABA. Consider this: his NBA Draft rights were held by Milwaukee, which would have put him on the same team with Jabbar and Robertson.
Even so, the talent in these highlights is remarkable. Even in his mid-30’s, Chamberlain was dominant. Jabbar was nowhere near his peak, but he was a phenomenal talent. Even today, Robertson and West are considered all-time greats and Havlicek was a supreme athlete who could have played in any era if only because you could never tire him out. He was more than that, but still, the guy never got tired. He retired at 38, the year before Larry Bird became a Celtic, and said that if he knew Bird was coming, he wouldn’t have retired.
In 1976, the ABA-NBA merger would change everything, but here, you have the genes of the old NBA, right down to the cheesy organ music. It’s all glorious.
Incidentally, also making a brief appearance here: Jack Marin, Duke’s second All-Star behind Jeff Mullins.
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