# 1971–72 ABA season

The 1971–72 ABA season was the fifth season of the American Basketball Association. The Indiana Pacers won the championship, defeating the New York Nets, 4 games to 2, in the ABA Finals.
With the signing of players suh as Artis Gilmore and Jim McDaniels in the offseason, the league looked to shift perceptions that it was a "guard league" without much height. For the first time in the league's history, no franchise moved to a different state from the previous season. The only name change involved the Dallas Chaparrals, who were able to secure a lease in Dallas for the season and were renamed from the previous season's Texas Chaparrals.

## Teams

1971-72 American Basketball Association :
| Division | Team | City | Arena | Capacity |
| Eastern | Carolina Cougars | Greensboro, North Carolina Charlotte, North Carolina Raleigh, North Carolina | Greensboro Coliseum Charlotte Coliseum Dorton Arena | 15,000 9,605 7,610 |
| Eastern | Kentucky Colonels | Louisville, Kentucky | Freedom Hall | 16,664 |
| Eastern | New York Nets | West Hempstead, New York Uniondale, New York | Island Garden Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum | 5,200 13,571 |
| Eastern | Pittsburgh Condors | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Civic Arena | 12,580 |
| Eastern | The Floridians | Miami Beach, Florida Tampa, Florida St. Petersburg, Florida Jacksonville, Florida West Palm Beach, Florida | Miami Beach Convention Center Curtis Hixon Hall Bayfront Arena Jacksonville Coliseum West Palm Beach Auditorium | 15,000 7,000 7,500 11,000 5,000 |
| Eastern | Virginia Squires | Old Dominion University Fieldhouse Hampton Coliseum Richmond Arena Salem Civic Center Roanoke Civic Center | Norfolk, Virginia Hampton, Virginia Richmond, Virginia Salem, Virginia Roanoke, Virginia | 5,200 9,777 6,000 6,820 9,828 |
| Western | Dallas Chaparrals | University Park, Texas Dallas, Texas | Moody Coliseum Dallas Memorial Auditorium | 8,998 9,815 |
| Western | Denver Rockets | Denver, Colorado | Denver Auditorium Arena | 6,841 |
| Western | Indiana Pacers | Indianapolis, Indiana | Indiana State Fair Coliseum | 10,000 |
| Western | Memphis Pros | Memphis, Tennessee | Mid-South Coliseum | 10,085 |
| Western | Utah Stars | Salt Lake City, Utah | Salt Palace | 12,166 |

### Map of teams
## Final standings
### Eastern Division

| Team | W | L | PCT. | GB |
| Kentucky Colonels * | 68 | 16 | .810 | — |
| Virginia Squires * | 45 | 39 | .536 | 23 |
| New York Nets * | 44 | 40 | .524 | 24 |
| The Floridians * | 36 | 48 | .429 | 32 |
| Carolina Cougars | 35 | 49 | .417 | 33 |
| Pittsburgh Condors | 25 | 59 | .298 | 43 |

### Western Division

| Team | W | L | PCT. | GB |
| Utah Stars * | 60 | 24 | .714 | — |
| Indiana Pacers * | 47 | 37 | .560 | 13 |
| Dallas Chaparrals * | 42 | 42 | .500 | 18 |
| Denver Rockets * | 34 | 50 | .405 | 26 |
| Memphis Pros | 26 | 58 | .310 | 34 |
Asterisk (*) denotes playoff team
Bold – ABA champions

## Awards and honors

* ABA Most Valuable Player Award: Artis Gilmore, Kentucky Colonels
* Rookie of the Year: Artis Gilmore, Kentucky Colonels
* Coach of the Year: Tom Nissalke, Dallas Chaparrals
* Playoffs MVP: Freddie Lewis, Indiana Pacers
* All-Star Game MVP: Dan Issel, Kentucky Colonels
* All-ABA First Team
** Dan Issel, Kentucky Colonels (1st First Team selection, 2nd overall selection)
** Rick Barry, New York Nets (4th selection)
** Artis Gilmore, Kentucky Colonels
** Donnie Freeman, Dallas Chaparrals (1st First Team selection, 4th overall selection)
** Bill Melchionni, New York Nets
* All-ABA Second Team
** Willie Wise, Utah Stars
** Julius Erving, Virginia Squires
** Zelmo Beaty, Utah Stars (2nd selection)
** Ralph Simpson, Denver Rockets
** Charlie Scott, Virginia Squires
* All-ABA Rookie Team
** Julius Erving, Virginia Squires
** Artis Gilmore, Kentucky Colonels
** George McGinnis, Indiana Pacers
** Johnny Neumann, Memphis Pros
** John Roche, New York Nets