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2026-27 · Preseason · Preseason
Schedule source: whynba · Retrieved Oct 12, 2:24 am EDTSpurs, Pacers, Nuggets and Nets pull ABA looks out of the archive for merger’s 50th season
The four clubs that crossed over from the ABA in 1976 revealed throwback Classic Edition sets on Monday, with San Antonio adding a commemorative court and a nine-game schedule that runs through the other three.
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The four franchises that entered the NBA from the American Basketball Association revealed throwback Classic Edition uniforms on Monday, October 12, a coordinated rollout marking 50 years since the 1976 merger that brought them into the league.
The San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets and Brooklyn Nets each posted their sets within about an hour of one another. All four clubs date to the ABA’s first season in 1967, so the 2026-27 campaign is also each franchise’s 60th.
San Antonio goes back to HemisFair Arena
The Spurs gave the most detail. Their release describes the uniform as a copy of the home kit the team wore at HemisFair Arena downtown after it moved to San Antonio in 1973. It sits on a silver base, brings back the original arched Spurs lettering across the chest, and frames the logo on the shorts with the old black diamond. A small tag honoring the ABA sits just above the jock tag.
San Antonio will debut the look, and a matching court carrying an ABA 50th anniversary logo, on Wednesday, November 4 against the Dallas Mavericks at Frost Bank Center. That is the first of nine Classic Nights, and seven of the remaining eight come against the merger partners: two each against Brooklyn and Indiana and three against Denver. Jordan Mandelkorn, the club’s vice president of marketing, creative and retail, called the program a way “to celebrate the history that helped shape the Spurs and our city.” Fan presale opens Tuesday, with general retail sales following on October 20.
Plaid lanes in Indianapolis
Indiana said it will wear its version 15 times, and Heavy reported the split as eight home dates and seven on the road. The Pacers set uses racing stripes, block numerals and the franchise’s original 1967 logo on the shorts. The home floor changes for those eight games: according to Heavy, the lanes will be done in plaid as a nod to the sideline jacket favored by Bobby “Slick” Leonard, who coached the club to all three of its ABA titles, and the court will carry an outline of the ABA championship trophy.
Denver and Brooklyn keep it short
The Nuggets and Nets said less. Denver framed its reveal around 50 years since leaving the ABA and highlighted orange as a new addition to its color scheme. Brooklyn said its throwback celebrates 60 years of Nets basketball. Neither club had published a game schedule for its set by Monday afternoon.
What comes next
The regular season opens Tuesday, October 20. The Pacers’ official page lists October 19 as the arrival date for their gear, and the first confirmed on-court appearance among the four is San Antonio’s November 4 home game against Dallas.
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