claim: The Indiana Pacers were never allowed to join a basketball league.
evidence: The original American Basketball Association -LRB- ABA -RRB- was a major-league professional basketball league founded in 1967 .. Basketball. Basketball. basketball. basketball. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA -- NBA merger in 1976 , leading several teams to join the National Basketball Association and the introduction of the 3-point shot in the NBA .. Basketball. Basketball. National Basketball Association. National Basketball Association. 3-point shot. 3-point shot