Spirits of St Louis Long Sleeve T-Shirt

Product Details:

• 100% Cotton (52% Cotton 48% Polyester for heather colors)
• Combed and ring-spun cotton
• Long sleeve, unisex classic fit
• Pre-shrunk, side-seamed
• Printed graphics
• Ships in 3–5 business days

Team: Spirits of St Louis
Years Active: 1974–1976
Home: St Louis Arena — St Louis, MO

Hall of Famer Rod Thorn served as head coach of the Spirits for one season, and a young Bob Costas was the club's play-by-play announcer. The team drew big crowds in its first year behind stars like Moses Malone, Maurice Lucas and Marvin "Bad News" Barnes, but attendance collapsed in year two and rarely topped 1,000 fans.

The Spirits were left out when the league merged in 1976. Rather than accept a buyout, the owners negotiated a deal for a cut of the merged teams' television revenue instead — a slice of the pie that kept paying out for 35 years until a final buyout in 2014, one of the more unusual footnotes in pro basketball history.

Vintage-inspired reproduction — not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any team, league, or organization. Used for historical and artistic purposes only.