 San Diego Conquistadors 1972-75  San Diego Sails 1975-76 |
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Player info Numbers Roster and Stats | Team info San Diego Conquistadors San Diego Sails Standings | Stats Head-to-Head |
Quick facts:
Founded: 1972
Folded: 1975
Arena: Peterson Gymnasium (1972–73)
Golden Hall (1973–74)
San Diego Sports Arena (1974–75)
Titles: 0
Playoffs: 2
The Score-a-thon:On Valentines day of 1975 the New York Nets and San Diego Conquistadors played arguably the greatest game in ABA history. Nets star Julius "Dr. J" Erving scored a career and ABA high 63 points in that game on an ABA record 25 of 46 shooting.
The home underdog Conquistadors would win the 4 over-time thriller 176-166. The game is the highest scoring game in ABA history and would be the second highest scoring game in NBA history. The 176 points put up by the Conquistadors would also be the 3rd most ever scored, the 166 by the Nets would be tied for 8th.
Expansion:While the NBA was expanding like mad in the late 1960s and early 1970s the ABA was not. The ABA relocated teams in order to get to new markets, but it expanded only once - to San Diego.
The Conquistadors replaced the Floridians franchise which disbanded. It is unknown why the ABA did not move either the Floridians or the Condors to San Diego, but it didn't and it created a new expansion team in Southern California.
The Q's:The Conquistadors got the interesting nickname the Q's. The letter Q is rare in the English language and even rarer in sports. The word Conquistador also had a thick Q accent, so it was a natural fit. Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo:
Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo was a Spanish conquistador who landed in San Diego Bay on September 28, 1542. His likeness is who the Conquistadors took their logo from.
In recent times Cabrillo has become a contraversial figure with many accusing him of enslavement and genocide.
Wilt the Stilt:In 1973 the Conquistadors signed NBA legend and Lakers free agent Wilt Chamberlain. Chamberlain was to act as both the teams star player and coach, but it would never happpen.
Despite being a free agent the Lakers filed a series of lawsuits which prevented Chamberlain from ever suiting up. He was allowed to coach the team however.
Chamberlain would coach the Conquistadors for one season compiling a 37-47 record and lose in the playoffs. Chamberlain would never play or coach in the NBA or ABA again.
Rare photo of Wilt Chamberlain wearing a San Diego jersey
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The Baltimore Claws were one of the shortest-lived franchises in professional basketball history. The team existed during the turbulent final months of the American Basketball Association and played only three preseason exhibition games before being expelled from the league in October 1975. The collapse of the Claws was not an isolated event. It was an early warning of the financial disaster that overwhelmed the ABA during its final season. Within weeks, the San Diego Sails and Utah Stars also ceased operations. The Virginia Squires barely completed the regular season before folding, leaving only six teams to finish the ABA's final campaign. By the summer of 1976, the struggling league could no longer survive independently. Four ABA franchises joined the NBA, two others folded during the merger negotiations, and the original ABA disappeared after nine seasons
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