MovieChat Forums > Semi-Pro (2008) Discussion > The ABA was a PROFESSIONAL league, not j...

The ABA was a PROFESSIONAL league, not just 'semi-pro'

posted 16 years ago by edjavega
12 replies | jump to latest

This movie wasn't so good, but it did have its moments.

My comment is the title: "Semi-Pro" - that's wrong. The ABA was not a "semi-pro" league but a real professional league competing with the established NBA for the best players: legends like Julius Erving, Moses Malone, David Thompson and George Gervin started their careers there, and one NBA star who hopped into the ABA for a few seasons was Rick Barry.

It wasn't just some minor league for the NBA. The league folded, but for the most part, it had bigger stadiums and bigger crowds, in more established cities (Denver, San Antonio, Indiana, etc.) than what this movie showed. The court in this movie didn't even look like it was regulation-sized, and only one referee per game?

Also, the "alley-oop" dunk existed even before the ABA merged with the NBA. Maybe the movie should have emphasized how it was the ABA which invented the 3-point shot to reward long-range shooters.

Maybe this movie will inspire someone to film a real serious movie about the final days of the league.

[–] goatman_48 16 years ago

I'm pretty sure the title is a play on words

[–] travisatisu 16 years ago

Read Loose Balls.

That isn't a Ferrell-esque joke, it's a great book about the ABA. I highly, highly recommend it to all interested parties.

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] goliatron 15 years ago

OP is a jive turkey.

[–] DrChrisCooper 15 years ago

"Wait, you mean this wasn't a documentary on the ABA? So that bear thing really didn't happen? That's jive, man."

We were lied to? This was not a true story? Someone used their imagination to make a movie? What is this world coming too?

How can we expect anyone to listen if we are using the same old voice? We need a new noise.

[–] Apex57 15 years ago

Wait, what this imagi-nation you speak of???

[–] saybow69 15 years ago

pretty sure everyone knows the aba was professional league, dont think you had to clear anything up?? and there has been numerous documentarys on the aba (hbo just did one last yr) and dont think there is a person on earth who didnt know julius erving and george gervin came from aba (semi-pro, like other guy said just play on words?? want them to call it "aba"??

[–] farmerbob42 14 years ago

i always figured the title was reffering to will ferrel's character

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] jefgg 12 years ago

Please click on
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfOCE5VntNo
for a short documentary about the last night of the ABA.

[–] jaystarstar 9 years ago

Well, it was a professional league, but sometimes (especially during the last season or two) things were very shaky.

Hell, even in the *NBA* of the mid-70s, things were very 'bush-league' compared to today.

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4) You ever seen Superman $#$# his pants? Case closed.

[–] SunCanyonRoad 9 years ago

Look, its just a movie and a silly title. They got several things wrong about the ABA. For starters the Spurs were not the best ABA franchise. That would have been the Pacers with their 5 finals appearances and 3 championships... But yes, those players were not Semi-Pro players, they were (especially at the ABA's end) incredibly good. Fact to back this up was the first NBA all start game after the merger was mostly ABA guys. In the early years of the ABA, the league's talent level wasn't quite there, but they closed the gap and several ABA champs from the later years would have (arguably) beaten the NBA champs of the same year in a 7 game series. The 1973 Pacers team was absolutely loaded for instance. A Knicks-Pacers series would have been cool to have witnessed that year. The 1975 Kentucky Colonels team had Louie Dampier, Dan Issel and Artis Gilmore and were coached by HOFer Hubie Brown (who said they were his best team ever). The team was so good, they beat the juggernaut Pacers 4-1 for the title and their owner then challenged the NBA champ Golden State Warriors to a true "World's Championship" series but the Warriors refused. Many basketball experts believe that Kentucky team WAS much better than Golden State that year.

So yeah, a rag tag league but not semi-pro.

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