- 1968
-
Move to Florida
The Miami Floridians, later in their history known simply as The Floridians, were a professional basketball franchise in the original, now-defunct American Basketball Association. The Miami Floridians played in the ABA from 1968 through 1970 when they became simply The Floridians. The team had two color schemes: their original red, blue, and white, and their later black, magenta, and orange.
History of the Floridians
The Miami Floridians, later in their history known simply as The Floridians, were a professional basketball franchise in the original, now-defunct American Basketball Association. The Miami Floridians played in the ABA from 1968 through 1970 when they became simply The Floridians. The team had two color schemes: their original red, blue, and white, and their later black, magenta, and orange.
The Miami Floridians began as the Minnesota Muskies, a charter ABA franchise that played in Bloomington, Minnesota at the Met Center and wore blue and gold. The Muskies finished with the league's second-best record, but wretched attendance figures (officially 2,800 per game, a figure that was likely padded) led owner Larry Shields to conclude that the team could not be viable in the Twin Cities. He sold minority shares to a group of Florida businessmen and moved the team to Miami. However, in order to pay leftover debts in Minnesota, Shields sold Rookie of the Year Mel Daniels to the Indiana Pacers, a deal now reckoned as the most lopsided trade in ABA history.
Established
1967
City
Minneapolis – Miami
League History
1967 – 1972 / American Basketball Association
Team History
1970 – 1972 / The Floridians
1968 – 1970 / Miami Floridians
1967 – 1968 / Minnesota Muskies
Nickname
Floridians – The final Florida ABA team's nickname means the state of Florida and the people of Florida, called “Floridians.”
Championship
ABA Championships 0
Arena
*Miami*
1968 – 1972 / Miami Beach Convention Center
*Tampa-St. Petersburg*
1970 – 1972/ Bayfront Arena
*Jacksonville*
1970 – 1972 / Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum
*Minnesota*
1967 – 1968 / Met Center
Owner
1970 – 1972 / Ned Doyle
1967 – 1969 / L.P. Shields & Fred Jefferson
To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.
Coaches
1969 – 1972 / Jim Pollard/Harold Blitman
1967 – 1969 / Jim Pollard
*Blue is this team’s history
