# Los Angeles Jets

The Los Angeles Jets were an American basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, founded by Jack Blanck and Len Corbosiero, that was a member of the American Basketball League in the league's 1961–62 season.

## History

The American Basketball League played one full season, 1961–1962, and part of the next season until the league folded on December 31, 1962. The ABL was the first basketball league to have a three point shot for baskets scored far away from the goal. Other rules that set the league apart were a 30-second shooting clock and a wider free throw lane, 18 feet instead of the standard 12.
The American Basketball League was formed when Abe Saperstein did not get the Los Angeles National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise he sought. His Harlem Globetrotters had strong NBA ties. When Minneapolis Lakers owner Bob Short was permitted to move the Lakers to Los Angeles, Saperstein reacted by convincing National Alliance of Basketball Leagues (NABL) team owner Paul Cohen (Tuck Tapers) and Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) National Champion Cleveland Pipers owner George Steinbrenner to take the top NABL and AAU teams and players and form a rival league.
League franchises were: the Chicago Majors (1961-1963); Cleveland Pipers (1961-1962); Kansas City Steers (1961–63); Long Beach Chiefs (1961-1963), as Hawaii Chiefs in 1961-62; Los Angeles Jets (1961–62, disbanded during season); Oakland Oaks (1961-1963, as San Francisco Saints in 1961-1962; Philadelphia Tapers 1961-1963, as Washington Tapers in 1961-62; moved to New York during 1961-62 season; as New York Tapers in 1961-62 and the Pittsburgh Rens (1961-1963).
The team's only coach was Bill Sharman. The assistant coach was Edwin A. "Scotty" McDonald, a former Loyola (of Los Angeles) coach, and coach of many AAU teams, NBA scout, and advisor.
The team was competing for ticket buyers in a market that included the recently relocated Lakers, as well as the college teams of USC and UCLA. Partway through their first and only season, with a respectable record of 24–15, the Jets franchise found itself unable to draw enough spectators to continue. The team disbanded during its only season on January 18, 1962. A new team taking the representation of the Jets franchise would participate in the 1962 ABL Draft process (albeit going by a tentative Los Angeles name), but that franchise would never materialize into action following the defending champion Cleveland Pipers later folding operations also.
The Jets played at both the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena and Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles.

## Roster

Jets players include the following players:
* Larry Beck
* Bob Blue
* George Finley
* Larry Friend
* Charlie Hadden
* Hal Lear
* Jim Palmer
* Jim Powell
* Bill Sharman (player-coach)
* Bill Spivey
* Dan Swartz
* Henry Whitney
* George Yardley

### Basketball Hall of Famers

Los Angeles Jets Hall of Famers :
| Players |||||
| No. | Name | Position | Tenure | Inducted |
| 21 | Bill Sharman | SG | 1961–1962 | 1976 |
| Coaches |||||
| Name | Name | Position | Tenure | Inducted |
| Bill Sharman | Bill Sharman | Head coach | 1961–1962 | 2004 |

## Year-by-year

| Year | League | Reg. Season | Wins | Losses | Playoffs |
| 1961/62 | ABL | 4th, Western | 24 | 15 | N/A (Folded) |

## Game log
### October

Record: 1-1; Home: 1-0; Road: 0-1
| # | Date | H/A/N | Opponent | W/L | Score | Record | Attendance | Site |
| 1 | October 27 | A | San Francisco Saints | L | 96-99 | 0-1 | 5,137 | Cow Palace |
| 2 | October 30 | H | Chicago Majors | W | 119-116 | 1-1 | 8,384 | Los Angeles Sports Arena |

### November

Record: 7-7; Home: 3-3; Road: 2-3; Neutral: 2-1
| # | Date | H/A/N | Opponent | W/L | Score | Record | Attendance | Site |
| 3 | November 6 | H | San Francisco Saints | L | 113-116 | 1-2 | 1,364 | Olympic Auditorium |
| 4 | November 7 | H | San Francisco Saints | W | 110-98 | 2-2 | 1,788 | Olympic Auditorium |
| 5 | November 10 | N | vs. Chicago Majors | W | 121-106 | 3-2 | 2,016 | Municipal Auditorium |
| 6 | November 12 | A | Kansas City Steers | L | 109-113 | 3-3 | 1,869 | Municipal Auditorium |
| 7 | November 13 | H | Cleveland Pipers | W | 108-99 | 4-3 | 3,176 | Olympic Auditorium |
| 8 | November 14 | H | Cleveland Pipers | W | 106-90 | 5-3 | 2,630 | Olympic Auditorium |
| 9 | November 17 | H | Kansas City Steers | L | 109-115 | 5-4 | 2,016 | Olympic Auditorium |
| 10 | November 19 | H | Kansas City Steers | L | 85-100 | 5-5 | 3,227 | Olympic Auditorium |
| 11 | November 21 | A | Chicago Majors | W | 142-119 | 6-5 | 3,000 (EST) | Chicago Stadium |
| 12 | November 22 | A | vs. Chicago Majors | L | 90-118 | 6-6 | 2,895 | Milwaukee Arena |
| 13 | November 24 | A | Kansas City Steers | L | 108-121 | 6-7 | 3,347 | Municipal Auditorium |
| 14 | November 26 | A | Kansas City Steers | W | 81-72 | 7-7 | 2,225 | Municipal Auditorium |
| 15 | November 27 | N | vs. San Francisco Saints | W | 97-76 | 8-7 | 3,596 | Civic Arena |
| 16 | November 29 | N | vs. Washington Tapers | L | 100-103 | 8-8 | 3,872 | Civic Arena |

### December

Record: 12-5; Home: 5-2; Road: 5-3; Neutral: 2-0
| # | Date | H/A/N | Opponent | W/L | Score | Record | Attendance | Site |
| 17 | December 1 | A | vs. Cleveland Pipers | L | 92-113 | 8-9 | 755 | Columbus Fairgrounds Coliseum |
| 18 | December 2 | A | Cleveland Pipers | W | 116-109 | 9-9 | 3,254 | Public Hall |
| 19 | December 3 | A | Pittsburgh Rens | W | 88-76 | 10-9 | 2,733 | Civic Arena |
| 20 | December 6 | N | vs. Pittsburgh Rens | W | 104-93 | 11-9 | | Chicago Stadium |
| 21 | December 7 | A | Pittsburgh Rens | L | 93-107 | 11-10 | 2,342 | Civic Arena |
| 22 | December 9 | H | Pittsburgh Rens | W | 115-99 | 12-10 | 938 | Olympic Auditorium |
| 23 | December 10 | H | Pittsburgh Rens | L | 100-101 | 12-11 | 1,773 | Olympic Auditorium |
| 24 | December 12 | H | Chicago Majors | W | 96-89 | 13-11 | 1,562 | Olympic Auditorium |
| 25 | December 13 | N | vs. Hawaii Chiefs | W | 90-89 | 14-11 | | Cow Palace |
| 26 | December 16 | H | San Francisco Saints | W | 111-88 | 15-11 | 522 | Olympic Auditorium |
| 27 | December 17 | H | San Francisco Saints | W | 115-103 | 16-11 | 256 | Olympic Auditorium |
| 28 | December 19 | A | Washington Tapers | W | 108-90 | 17-11 | | Washington Coliseum |
| 29 | December 20 | A | vs. Washington Tapers | W | 93-89 | 18-11 | | at Norfolk, VA |
| 30 | December 21 | A | Washington Tapers | W | 102-96 | 19-11 | | Washington Coliseum |
| 31 | December 27 | H | San Francisco Saints | L | 110-114 | 19-12 | | Olympic Auditorium |
| 32 | December 28 | A | San Francisco Saints | L | 103-104 | 19-13 | 4,084 | San Francisco Civic Auditorium |
| 33 | December 31 | H | Pittsburgh Rens | W | 119-108 | 20-13 | 1,798 | Olympic Auditorium |

### January

Record: 4-2; Home: 3-0; Road: 0-1; Neutral: 1-1
| # | Date | H/A/N | Opponent | W/L | Score | Record | Attendance | Site |
| 34 | January 2 | H | Washington Tapers | W | 112-104 | 21-13 | 583 | Olympic Auditorium |
| 35 | January 4 | H | Washington Tapers | W | 107-104 | 22-13 | 1,165 | Olympic Auditorium |
| 36 | January 5 | N | vs. Chicago Majors | L | 103-106 (OT) | 22-14 | 5,500 (EST) | Wichita, Kansas |
| 37 | January 6 | A | Chicago Majors | L | 89-105 | 22-15 | 2,352 | Chicago Stadium |
| 38 | January 9 | H | Hawaii Chiefs | W | 140-103 | 23-15 | 2,791 | Olympic Auditorium |
| 39 | January 10 | N | vs. Hawaii Chiefs | W | 123-122 | 24-15 | 2,684 | Cow Palace |