| Spirits of St. Louis | |
|---|---|
.png) | |
| Conference | Eastern Conference |
| Division | East Division |
| Founded | 1967 |
| History | Houston Mavericks 1967–1969 Carolina Cougars 1969–1974 Spirits of St. Louis 1974–1976 Utah Rockies (proposed) |
| Arena | St. Louis Arena |
| Location | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Team colors | Burnt orange, white, black |
| Team manager | Harry Weltman |
| Head coach | Bob MacKinnon (1974–1975) Rod Thorn (1975) Joe Mullaney (1976) |
| Ownership | Ozzie and Daniel Silna |
| Championships | None |
The Spirits of St. Louis were a basketball franchise based in St. Louis that played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) from 1974 to 1976. This was the third and last city of a franchise that had begun as a charter member in 1967 as the Houston Mavericks before a shift to the Carolinas in 1969 to play as the Cougars. They were one of two teams still in existence at the end of the ABA that did not survive the league's merger with the National Basketball Association (NBA). They were a member of the ABA in its last two seasons, 1974–75 and 1975–76, while playing their home games at the St. Louis Arena. Under terms of the ABA–NBA merger, the owners of the Spirits continued to receive a portion of NBA television revenue until 2014, when a revised agreement was reached with the league.[1]
- ^ "Silna Settles Longtime NBA Dispute for $500M". The Malibu Times. Apr 16, 2014. Archived from the original on December 19, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2022.