Free Spirits (2013)
When the NBA merged with the American Basketball Association in 1976, four ABA franchises joined the more established league - the Nets, Nuggets, Pacers and Spurs.
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The summary of this installment of "30 for 30" makes it sound as if the entire episode is about four of the ABA's teams moving to the NBA in the 1970s. Well, this is about the very end of the episode but otherwise, the film is NOT about this at all but about the St. Louis Spirit--one of the most obnoxious and inconsistent teams of the ABA. Why was it such a mess AND so successful? See this film and learn about the personalities and the problems that prevented the team from joining the NBA as well as the sweetheart deal that made the team's owners mega-rich.Anything about the ABA is going to be interesting, as the ABA was just a weird, nutty experiment that you cannot help but admire despite its many shortcomings. Additionally, "30 for 30" is just a terrific series. Well worth seeing.
30 for 30: Free Spirits (2013) *** (out of 4)Entertaining entry in the ESPN series takes a look at the ABA's St. Louis Spirits and their main star Marvin Barnes. Even though the team was only around for two years, these years allows for many great stories ranging from fights to parties and one of the greatest settlements in the history of sports. FREE SPIRITS is certainly a story not too many people are going to know. My father was a big fan of the ABA so I heard all sorts of stories growing up including some about the Spirits so it was fun getting to hear from some of the players as they discuss the various issues going on. Other topics are covered including the various fights in the league, the promotions used to try and draw fans and of course the merger into the NBA where the Kentucky and St. Louis teams were left out but the Spirits' owners managed to come up with a terrific deal that has paid them $250-million since 1976. Fans of the ABA are certainly going to enjoy hearing all of these stories and there's also plenty of video to see some of these fights and wild plays.