The1976 ABA All Star Game was the ninth and finalAmerican Basketball Association All-Star Game, played atMcNichols Arena inDenver, Colorado, on January 27, 1976. This time, the league abandoned the usual East vs. West format it used from the 1967–68 season onward and instead had the league's first-place team at the All Star break face off against a team of ABA All Stars.[1] The change was decided given the league's reduction from ten to seven teams and from two divisions to only one.[2] At the All-Star break, theDenver Nuggets were in first place,[1] which was convenient as the Nuggets had also been selected to host the game inMcNichols Arena.Kevin Loughery of theNew York Nets coached the All-Stars whileLarry Brown led theDenver Nuggets. This was the second year in a row that Loughery and Brown coached against each other in the ABA All-Star Game. (The Nuggets went on to finish the regular season in first place at 60-24 (.714), but after beating theKentucky Colonels 4 games to 3 in theABA Semifinals the Nuggets lost in the1976 ABA Finals to theNew York Nets, 4 games to 2.)[3]
The 12 All-Stars originally selected included the Nuggets'David Thompson,Bobby Jones, andRalph Simpson. Coaches replaced them on the all-star squad withMaurice Lucas of Kentucky,Larry Kenon of theSan Antonio Spurs, andDon Buse of theIndiana Pacers.[2]
Pre-game entertainment was provided byGlen Campbell andCharlie Rich.[4]
Halftime of the All Star Game saw the first-everSlam Dunk Contest, which was won byJulius Erving of theNew York Nets (who took off from the free throw line for one of his dunks[5]) over Denver's Thompson,Artis Gilmore of Kentucky, and bothGeorge Gervin andLarry Kenon of San Antonio.[6] TheNational Basketball Association later adopted the Slam Dunk Contest as part ofits All-Star Game events starting in 1984 (also hosted by the Denver Nuggets). Denver's 52 fourth quarter points was a record for an ABA All-Star Game and capped a 144–138 comeback win.[4] It was the highest-scoring game in ABA All-Star history. Thompson was named the MVP.[1]
This was the final ABA All Star Game, due to theABA-NBA merger in June 1976.
| Score by Periods: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
| Denver | 32 | 23 | 37 | 52 | 144 |
| All-Stars | 31 | 25 | 41 | 41 | 138 |
| Player, Team | MIN | FGM | FGA | 3PM | 3PA | FTM | FTA | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PFS | PTS |
| Brian Taylor, NYA | 29 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Artis Gilmore, KEN | 27 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 14 |
| Julius Erving, NYA | 25 | 9 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 23 |
| James Silas, SAA | 23 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 20 |
| Billy Knight, INA | 23 | 9 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20 |
| Billy Paultz, SAA | 20 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| Larry Kenon, SAA | 20 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 10 |
| Ron Boone, SSL | 16 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| George Gervin, SAA | 16 | 3 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| Maurice Lucas, KEN | 14 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Don Buse, INA | 14 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Marvin Barnes, SSL | 13 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| Team Totals | 240 | 56 | 104 | 2 | 7 | 24 | 29 | 51 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 138 |
| Player, Team | MIN | FGM | FGA | 3PM | 3PA | FTM | FTA | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PFS | PTS |
| Ralph Simpson, DEN | 37 | 8 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 |
| David Thompson, DEN | 34 | 9 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 13 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 29 |
| Dan Issel, DEN | 31 | 6 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 19 |
| Bobby Jones, DEN | 29 | 8 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 24 |
| Claude Terry, DEN | 25 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 14 |
| Chuck Williams, DEN | 22 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| Byron Beck, DEN | 20 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 14 |
| Gus Gerard, DEN | 17 | 5 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 12 |
| Monte Towe, DEN | 11 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Roger Brown, DEN | 9 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| James Foster, DEN | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Team Totals | 240 | 52 | 112 | 1 | 3 | 39 | 50 | 55 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 144 |
