1968–69 New York Nets season

ABA basketball team season August 2023 March 2026 New York Nets ABA 1969 17 61 Eastern (ABA) 5 Max Zaslofsky Long Island Arena Did not qualify NYA WBAB New Jersey Americans The 1968–69 New York Nets season was the first season of the Nets playing in New York and second overall season in the American Basketball Association (ABA). After one year in New Jersey as the New Jersey Americans, the team elected to play their games at Commack Arena in New York, the same place that they had tried to use for their one-game playoff against the Kentucky Colonels that they forfeited due to unplayable conditions. Low attendance plagued the team at times, with the October 29 game drawing only 384 people to see the Nets play the Denver Rockets. Only 249 attended the game played on December 25, 1968, which was also against the Rockets. The December 27 game was notable for a collision between Ken Wilburn and Rick Barry that cost Barry the rest of his season for the Oakland Oaks due to injury (though the Oaks would win the 1969 ABA Finals Championship despite Barry's injury). Factors for the low attendance ranged from a lack of star power to the conditioning of the court, which was over the hockey rink that was involved with the venue due to the Arena doubling as a hockey arena as well.http://www.remembertheaba.com/new-york-nets.html Remember the ABA: New York Nets 2013-02-22 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20130303130614/http://www.remembertheaba.com/new-york-nets.html 2013-03-03 Their 17–61 record would be the worst record in ABA history at the time (in terms of win percentage) until the 1974–75 Virginia Squires season broke that record. ABA Draft PlayerSchool/Club teamDick CunninghamMurray StateRodney KnowlesDavidsonDon SmithIowa StateSteve AdelmanBoston CollegeEddie BiedenbachNorth Carolina StateRon GruziakDuquesnePete ODeaSt. Peter'sBill SoensMiami (FL)Bill ButlerSt. BonaventureJohn ChamberlainC. W. PostTony KoskiProvidenceBill LangheldFordhamArt StephensonRhode IslandHarry LaurieSt. Peter's This draft would be the last draft the New York Nets would operate under their original New Jersey Americans team name, as they would move operations and rename themselves into the New York Nets for this season following a failed tiebreaker playoff game from the previous season against the Kentucky Colonels. Roster New York Nets 1968–69 #EC0044 #FFFFFF #003DA6 #FFFFFF 20 Dan Anderson basketball, born 1943 C 6 10 230 1943-02-15 Augsburg 32 Tom Bowens PF 6 8 220 1940-07-07 Grambling State 22 Steve Chubin SG 6 2 200 1944-02-08 Rhode Island 8 Ollie Darden PF 6 7 235 1944-07-28 Michigan 30 Wilbert Frazier C 6 7 210 1942-08-24 Grambling State 10 Tom Hoover basketball C 6 9 230 1941-01-23 Villanova 32 Tony Jackson basketball, born 1942 SF 6 4 200 1942-11-07 St. John's 10 Stew Johnson PF 6 8 220 1944-08-19 Murray State 42 Rod Knowles C 6 9 215 1946-02-27 Davidson 27 Tony Koski SF 6 8 215 1946-06-26 Providence 9 Manny Leaks C 6 8 225 1945-11-27 Niagara 27 Leary Lentz SF 6 6 200 1945-02-23 Houston 3 Bob Lloyd basketball PG 6 2 184 1946-01-03 Rutgers 20 Randolph Mahaffey PF 6 7 210 1945-09-28 Clemson 22 Maurice McHartley SG 6 3 185 1942-08-01 North Carolina A&T 22 Ron Perry basketball, born 1943 SG 6 3 190 1943-12-29 Virginia Tech 4 Walt Simon SF 6 6 200 1939-12-01 Benedict 33 Willie Somerset PG 5 8 170 1942-03-17 Duquesne 40 Levern Tart SG 6 2 195 1942-06-01 Bradley 27 Bob Verga SG 6 1 190 1945-09-07 Duke 11 Hank Whitney PF 6 7 230 1939-04-28 Iowa State 10 Ken Wilburn SF 6 6 195 1944-06-08 Central State 33 Willie Worsley PG 5 9 175 1945-11-13 UTEP Max Zaslofsky https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/NYA/1969.html ABA Playoffs 1969 ABA playoffs The Nets did not qualify for the playoffs this year. This would be the second straight season they would fail to quality for the ABA Playoffs after previously missing it via forced forfeiture on a one-game playoff match against the Kentucky Colonels. References New York Nets season Category:Brooklyn Nets seasons New York Nets New York Nets Category:Smithtown, New York