Era · 1970s

Showtime and Arrivals

1975–1983

A rough decade for the league commercially, and a strong one for individual careers. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played through his prime. Dr. J brought the ABA aesthetic into the merged league. By the end of the decade, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird had entered the NBA and begun to reset the shape of every roster conversation that followed.

The ABA–NBA merger happened in 1976. Attendance was down through the late 1970s, drug scandals were real, and the league's television deal was so weak that Finals games were broadcast on tape delay in some markets. The next decade's marketing success would be built on careers that started in this one.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
C · Peak Lakers years
Julius Erving
SF · 1977 Finals
Larry Bird
SF · Rookie 1979–80
Magic Johnson
PG · Rookie 1979–80