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Legacy Basketball — The Home of ABA, BAA & Defunct Pro Basketball Throwbacks

Authentic ABA, BAA & Pre-Merger Pro Basketball Throwbacks. Custom Names & Numbers. Sizes S–5XL.

Legacy Basketball is the definitive online destination for throwback jerseys, hats, t-shirts, and apparel from the great defunct pro basketball leagues. From the American Basketball Association (ABA, 1967–1976) — the red, white, and blue, three-point-line-inventing rival to the NBA — to the Basketball Association of America (BAA, 1946–1949), the league that became the modern NBA in 1949 — Legacy Basketball at Royal Retros covers the franchises and leagues that built professional basketball as we know it. Free name and number on most styles. Sizes S–5XL.

Shop by League

The Legacy Basketball collection is your gateway to every defunct pro basketball league we cover:

• ABA (American Basketball Association, 1967–1976) — The red, white, and blue rival to the NBA that gave us the three-point line, the slam-dunk contest, the 30-second shot clock, Julius Erving, George Gervin, Moses Malone, and four franchises that joined the NBA in the 1976 merger.
• BAA (Basketball Association of America, 1946–1949) — The pre-NBA league founded by hockey arena owners that merged with the NBL in 1949 to become the modern NBA.

Headline ABA Franchises: The Red, White & Blue Era

Across nine seasons, the ABA fielded twenty-eight different franchises across markets the NBA wouldn't touch. These are the franchises whose throwbacks define the Legacy Basketball collection:

Kentucky Colonels — The most successful ABA franchise that didn't make the NBA merger. Two-time ABA finalists (1971, 1973) and 1975 ABA Champions, the Colonels posted the league's best all-time winning percentage behind Hall of Famers Dan Issel, Artis Gilmore, and Louie Dampier (the only player to spend all nine ABA seasons in one uniform). Shop the Colonels.

Spirits of St. Louis — The Carolina Cougars relocated. Famous for the most lucrative TV-rights deal in pro sports history (the Silna brothers' perpetual share of NBA TV money) and for Marvin Barnes's chaotic genius. Shop the Spirits.

Virginia Squires — The Tobacco Road regional ABA franchise. Drafted Julius Erving and George Gervin before financial pressure forced them to sell both. Charlie Scott and Swen Nater rounded out one of the great single-season frontcourt rotations ever. Shop the Squires.

Carolina Cougars — The first regional pro basketball franchise (Greensboro/Charlotte/Raleigh, 1969–1974). Larry Brown coached the 1972–73 squad to a 57–27 season behind Billy Cunningham, Mack Calvin, and Joe Caldwell. Shop the Cougars.

Pittsburgh Pipers / Condors — The first ABA Champions (1968) behind league MVP Connie Hawkins. Renamed the Condors after Hawkins joined the NBA. Shop the Pipers/Condors.

Los Angeles / Utah Stars — The 1971 ABA Champions, defeating the Kentucky Colonels in seven games behind Finals MVP Zelmo Beaty. Drafted 19-year-old Moses Malone out of high school in 1974. Shop the Stars.

Miami Floridians / The Floridians — ABA's most stylish franchise: magenta-orange-and-black uniforms and the famous courtside "Floridians" girls. Larry Brown coached the magenta-and-orange era. Shop the Floridians.

Memphis Sounds / Pros / Tams — The wandering ABA franchise that began life in New Orleans, played in Memphis under three different names, and ended in Baltimore as the doomed Hustlers/Claws. Shop the Memphis ABA franchise.

Oakland Oaks — The 1969 ABA Champions. Coached by Alex Hannum, built around Rick Barry. Won the title and immediately relocated to Washington as the Caps. Shop the Oaks.

Denver Rockets — The eventual NBA Nuggets, founded as ABA charter members in 1967. Renamed the Nuggets in 1974 in anticipation of the merger. Shop the Rockets.

Anaheim Amigos / Los Angeles Stars — The wandering Southern California ABA franchise that became the Utah Stars and the 1971 champions. Shop the Amigos.

New Jersey Americans — The original franchise that became the New York Nets, then the Brooklyn Nets. ABA charter member in 1967. Shop the Americans.

San Diego Conquistadors / Sails — The expansion ABA franchise that signed Wilt Chamberlain as player-coach (technically just coach because the Lakers won an injunction). Lost the highest-scoring game in pro basketball history (176–166 in 4OT to the Nets). Shop the Conquistadors/Sails.

Houston Mavericks, Dallas Chaparrals, Minnesota Muskies, Minnesota Pipers, Washington Caps, New Orleans Buccaneers, Baltimore Hustlers/Claws — The full constellation of ABA franchises across the league's nine seasons. Every one is in the Royal Retros catalog.

What You Can Shop

ABA & BAA Jerseys — ABA-style mesh and twill basketball jerseys covering every franchise. The famous red-white-and-blue ABA ball isn't included with jerseys (sorry) but the mesh and palette are right. Free name and number on most jerseys. Sizes S–5XL.

ABA & BAA Hats — Snapback, fitted, and unstructured dad caps featuring ABA franchise logos.

ABA & BAA T-Shirts & Hoodies — Soft cotton tees and pullover hoodies in every franchise's classic colorway.

Customization — Free name and number on most jerseys. Custom items are final sale.

Sizes — Small through 5XL on most styles. True family sizing.

Why Royal Retros Is the Home of Legacy Basketball

• Officially licensed throwbacks across every defunct pro basketball league we cover.
• Free name and number customization on most jerseys.
• Period-correct construction and colorways for ABA (1967–1976) and BAA (1946–1949) eras.
• Sizes Small through 5XL — true family sizing.
• The widest selection of ABA throwback apparel anywhere on the web.
• One-stop shop for every ABA franchise we license, plus BAA pre-NBA throwbacks.

Quick Buying Questions

What sizes are available?

Small through 5XL on most styles.

Can I customize?

Yes — most jerseys include free name and number. Custom items are final sale.

Is this officially licensed?

Yes. Royal Retros holds the licensing required to make ABA and BAA throwbacks.

How long will my order take?

Stock items ship within a few business days. Custom jerseys typically take 2–3 weeks because each one is sewn to order.

Why isn't the modern NBA in this collection?

Legacy Basketball covers the pre-NBA-merger era and defunct pro basketball leagues only. For the modern NBA we direct fans to the league directly.

The History of Legacy Basketball

The modern NBA is the heir to two pre-merger leagues that ran in parallel for thirty years and forced the league into its current form. Legacy Basketball tracks both — the BAA that founded the modern NBA, and the ABA that nine years later forced the NBA to absorb four franchises and adopt the rules and aesthetics that made it the modern league.

The BAA (1946–1949) — The League That Became the NBA

The Basketball Association of America launched on June 6, 1946, founded by Madison Square Garden's Walter Brown and ten other arena owners (mostly hockey arena operators) who saw basketball as a way to fill empty winter dates. The eleven charter franchises included the Boston Celtics, New York Knickerbockers, Philadelphia Warriors, Chicago Stags, St. Louis Bombers, Cleveland Rebels, Detroit Falcons, Pittsburgh Ironmen, Providence Steamrollers, Toronto Huskies, and Washington Capitols.

The Philadelphia Warriors won the inaugural BAA championship behind Joe Fulks. The Baltimore Bullets won the 1948 title. The Minneapolis Lakers, with George Mikan, won the 1949 title. After three seasons the BAA absorbed the rival National Basketball League (NBL) on August 3, 1949, forming the modern NBA. Six BAA franchises survive in the modern NBA: Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Philadelphia Warriors (now Golden State), Atlanta Hawks (originally Tri-Cities Blackhawks via NBL), Sacramento Kings (originally Rochester Royals via NBL), and Detroit Pistons (originally Fort Wayne Pistons via NBL).

The ABA (1967–1976) — The Most Influential Defunct League in Sports History

The American Basketball Association launched in October 1967 as a serious challenger to the NBA. Founded by Dennis Murphy and Gary Davidson (the same duo who later launched the WHA in hockey), the ABA fielded eleven charter franchises across markets the NBA hadn't touched: Anaheim Amigos, Dallas Chaparrals, Denver Rockets, Houston Mavericks, Indiana Pacers, Kentucky Colonels, Minnesota Muskies, New Jersey Americans, New Orleans Buccaneers, Oakland Oaks, and Pittsburgh Pipers.

The ABA's contributions to professional basketball are immense. They invented the three-point line. They invented the slam-dunk contest at the 1976 ABA All-Star Game (won by Julius Erving over David Thompson, George Gervin, Larry Kenon, and Artis Gilmore). They used the red, white, and blue ball that became basketball's most iconic symbol. They played a faster, more open style than the NBA and signed teenagers (Moses Malone, the first prep-to-pro player ever) the NBA wouldn't touch. They sold their teams to broadcast partners and operated with promotional creativity the NBA hadn't dared.

The league's stars are the spine of pro basketball history: Julius "Dr. J" Erving (Virginia Squires, New York Nets), George Gervin (Virginia Squires, San Antonio Spurs), Connie Hawkins (Pittsburgh Pipers), Rick Barry (Oakland Oaks), Dan Issel (Kentucky Colonels), Artis Gilmore (Kentucky Colonels), Moses Malone (Utah Stars), Spencer Haywood (Denver Rockets), David Thompson (Denver Nuggets), Larry Brown (player-coach across the league), and many more.

After nine seasons of mounting financial pressure on both leagues, the ABA-NBA merger was finalized in June 1976. Four ABA franchises joined the NBA: the Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs (formerly Dallas Chaparrals), Denver Nuggets (formerly Rockets), and New York Nets (now Brooklyn Nets, formerly New Jersey Americans). Two surviving ABA franchises were paid off rather than admitted: the Kentucky Colonels (sold for $3 million) and the Spirits of St. Louis (the Silna brothers negotiated a perpetual share of NBA broadcast revenue that paid out an estimated $750+ million over the next four decades — the most lucrative pro sports buyout in history).

ABA's Permanent Mark on the NBA

Within five years of the merger the NBA had adopted the three-point line (1979), the slam-dunk contest (1984), and the open, three-point-shooting style that defines modern basketball. The four ABA franchises that joined the NBA have collectively won eight NBA Championships (Spurs five, Pacers zero, Nuggets one, Nets zero — wait, Spurs five, Pistons — actually only the Spurs have won championships from the ABA franchises, with five titles).

The Silna brothers' Spirits of St. Louis perpetual broadcast deal became the most-discussed pro sports contract of the next four decades, finally being bought out by the NBA in 2014 for a reported $500 million on top of the hundreds of millions already paid.

Why Legacy Basketball Matters

The ABA didn't just compete with the NBA — it won. The merger absorbed the ABA's franchises, players, rules, and aesthetic. Modern basketball is fundamentally an ABA-shaped game played under an NBA banner. The franchises that didn't make the merger (Kentucky Colonels, Spirits of St. Louis, Virginia Squires, Memphis Sounds, San Diego Conquistadors, Carolina Cougars, etc.) are the great cult chapters of pro basketball history — franchises that nearly broke pro basketball wide open.

Royal Retros honors that lineage. We carry every defunct pro basketball league we can license, in every era, with the same construction quality and customization options as our modern apparel. If you're a Kentucky fan who knows the Colonels were the best ABA team, a Carolina fan who knows the Cougars predated both the Hornets and the Charlotte Bobcats by decades, or a St. Louis fan who knows the Spirits' broadcast deal made the Silna brothers richer than most NBA owners — Legacy Basketball is the home of your team.

Legacy Basketball at Royal Retros — The Leagues That Built the NBA. Custom Names & Numbers. Sizes S–5XL.