The Birth Of Cool

The NBA All-Star game was held in Denver yesterday. On Friday there was an ABA reunion party in Denver, site of the 1976 ABA All-Star game and pro basketball's first slam dunk contest. Nice article in the Denver Post.

They gave us the dunk as art form.

They gave us the soaring grace of the 3-point shot, the spinning patriotism of the red-white-and-blue ball, the big hair and, yes, the wrestling bear.

But mostly, before its four top teams were beamed up in an NBA merger and the remaining clubs evaporated in a sea of empty seats, the ABA gave us pure, sweet cool.