A little background on me. I am a former devoted fan of the original ABA, having gone to many games to see my beloved Nets play at the Coliseum. I was devastated by both the merger (I understood it was needed) and the sale of Dr J to the Sixers. Why the ABA? Sure it was more colorful and exciting but at the root of it, I guess I’ve always been drawn to the underdog. Many years later, I heard that the ABA was relaunching and decided to offer my services, thinking it was a continuation of the real ABA. After working with them for over two years, and seeing the truth, I had had enough. I could not stomach what this league was doing to the legacy of the original ABA. It came to fruition when I began to becomes friends with many of the players, and especially ex-Pacers. I got to attend the Roger Brown night and had drinks after the game with some of the old Pacer champions and began to learn about not only how they feel about Joe Newman and this modern “ABA“, but about the pension issue and how it has damaged so many lives. This has haunted me ever since.
Over the next year or so I’ve tried to help as much as I can, offering my services to the wonderful Dropping Dimes charity. Through Dropping Dimes, I found out the grave situations some of these players are in. I’ve asked the players, why they don’t go public, especially after the Sterling incident. The answer varies but for the most part, they are afraid and still hopeful that something would work out. To be honest, they are ill-prepared (and too poor) to deal with these issues. Others did not want to damage their relationships with the NBA. Yet I kept pushing for it.
What made me decide to do it myself, was the following:
- reading their petition (CLICK HERE)
- the copy of the “kiss off” letter the players received from the NBA in response (CLICK HERE)
- more players dying, which meant time was running out
- and then hearing Adam Silver’s speech about how the NBA is doing right by the pre-1965 NBAers because it was the right thing
I had enough and told my ABA friends I was going to fight, even if they are scared too. And so I have just begun my media campaign. If the NBA could do right by the pre-1965 players (coincidence that they are almost all white?), why couldn’t they do right by the ABA players (again, coincidentally mostly African American and under-educated?). Maybe it is just greed but what else could it be? There were promises made to the ABA players and it was a MERGER. We all know the definition of that term. It’s plain wrong.
The sad thing is, the NBA knows that in a few years, the problem will “solve itself” with the deaths of the remaining players, as every year more and more die without justice.
So not only is the NBA allowing the players to suffer financially, they won’t even allow them and their families to even enjoy their legacy as the more time passes, the more fans will equate the current league, as being the original. And team owners and Joe Newman continue to promote this (see ABA-rep attachments from the Washington post).
So no money and tainted, painful memories of their greatness being forgotten. To me, this is abusive treatment.
So I continue to fight to get the NBA to do the right thing once and for all. Hoping this story takes traction and embarrasses the NBA on a PR level so they are forced to do something. So anyone reading this, please help. Spread the word, tell as many media people about this horrific tragedy. In the internet age, things do not remain hidden for long.