 Oakland Oaks 67-69  Washington Caps 69-70   Virginia Squires 70-76 |
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Player info Numbers Roster | Team info Oakland Oaks Photos Standings Virginia Squires Washington Caps | Stats Head-to-Head |
Quick facts:
Founded: 1967
Folded: 1976
Arena: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena (1967-69)
Washington Coliseum (1969-70)
Hampton Coliseum (1970–76)
Norfolk Scope (1971–76)
Richmond Coliseum (1971–76, occasional games)
Old Dominion University Fieldhouse (1970–71, occasional games)
Richmond Arena (1970–71)
Roanoke Civic Center (1971–72)
Titles: 1(1969)
Playoffs: 6
The Ring to end all Rings:After winning the 1969 ABA championship the Oaks ownership wanted to purchase championship rings for their players - as has been the standard in American pro-sports for a century. But the bank that was to help finance the rings accidently sent a blank check to the jeweler, this resulted in the jewelry charging the team and the bank $1.5 million. This was more money than the team had and so the ownership quickly sold the team to Washington lawyer Earl Foreman who moved the team to DC.
The Oaks were struggling before the ring fiasco because of their close proximity to the NBA's Golden State Warriors. It was only a matter of time before the Oaks ultimately moved, but the ring disaster hastened the move and the Oaks became the second ABA champion after the Pipers to move directly after winning the ABA championship.
Long Way from The Nations Capitol:
Despite playing in Washington DC, which is on the Atlantic Seaboard, the Caps were in the ABA's Western Division with other teams such as New Orleans, Denver, and Los Angeles. This is because the ABA refused to fix their divisions after the Oaks relocated to Washington and became the Caps.
The Caps solution to this was to play some of their home games in Wichita, Kansas, Cullohee, North Carolina, Denver, Los Angeles, and even in Mexico City. The travel angered both the Caps players and rival players alike. To make matters worse, when the Caps did play in DC their arena was in the Near Northeast neighborhood of Washington DC still recovering from the 1958 race riots.
Julius Earving
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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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