The1976–77 New York Nets season was the tenth season for the franchise, the ninth and final season where the team went by the New York Nets name after previously going by the New Jersey Americans in their first season in the now-defunctAmerican Basketball Association, and the first for the team in theNBA. It was also their only NBA season that they played inLong Island before they moved back toNew Jersey while retaining the Nets name they've had ever since their second season in the ABA. This season was notable for, as the franchise owner at the timeRoy Boe described it, trading the team's very soul for a birth into the NBA since as they were the only ABA team intruding upon another NBA team's territory at the time (in this case, theNew York Knicks' territory for theNew York City area), the Nets in particular had to pay an extra fee for the Knicks just to play in the NBA. While the Nets tried to get the Knicks to waive the extra fee, to the point of even allowing them their starJulius Erving to join the Knicks instead, the Nets would only really make it by trading Erving to thePhiladelphia 76ers in order to secure a birth into the NBA instead. Their forced trade of Dr. J to the 76ers just to secure their permanent entry into the NBA resulted in them going from being the final champions in ABA history to the worst team in the NBA in their first year of entry, with them not only finishing the season with a 22–60 record, but also not even getting the #1 pick that year due to them losing the coin toss to theMilwaukee Bucks (or at least, they would have had they not also traded that draft pick to theKansas City Kings earlier in the season as well just to help themselves get the payment they need to enter the NBA properly), which forced them to have the #7 pick in the1977 NBA draft instead due to the Nets trading with fellow ABA-turned-NBA teamIndiana Pacers as a means to help each other out since they were both struggling in their own ways during their first seasons out in the NBA.

The New York Nets would be one of four ABA teams to not participate in the1976 NBA draft, nor would they be able to hold an ABA draft of sorts due to theABA-NBA merger that was taking place in June 1976. However, they would be able to participate in the1976 ABA dispersal draft, with the Nets being the last team to select a player in the first round of the dispersal draft. The player they would select in the first round (which later became the penultimate pick of that draft) wasJan van Breda Kolff from theKentucky Colonels, which they then purchased to have him join their team for $60,000.

1976–77 New York Nets roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From PG 1 Nate Archibald  6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 150 lb (68 kg) 1948-09-02 UTEP SF 42 Mike Bantom 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1951-12-03 Saint Joseph's PF 21 Tim Bassett 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1951-04-01 Georgia PF 31 Mel Davis 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1950-11-09 St. John's C 40 Jim Fox 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1943-04-07 South Carolina SG 11 Robert Hawkins 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1954-06-30 Illinois State C 35 Kim Hughes 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1952-06-04 Wisconsin SG 30 Al Skinner 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1952-06-16 UMass SF 12 Chuck Terry 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1950-09-27 Long Beach State SF 20 Jan van Breda Kolff 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1951-12-16 Vanderbilt PG 15 Dave Wohl 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1949-11-02 Penn

Head coach Kevin Loughery Assistant(s) Rod Thorn Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster Updated: February 2, 1977

In a special $6 million deal, the Nets soldJulius Erving, theABA's leading scorer, to thePhiladelphia 76ers for $3 million.^[1] The other $3 million went to Erving, by way of a new contract.^[1]

• New York Nets on Basketball Reference

• 1976–77 NBA season
• Brooklyn Nets seasons
• 1976 in sports in New York (state)
• 1977 in sports in New York (state)
• Sports in Hempstead, New York

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