The American Basketball League played one full season,
1961–
1962, and part of the next season until the league folded on December 31, 1962. The ABL was the first basketball league to have a
three point shot for baskets scored far away from the goal. Other rules that set the league apart were a
30-second shooting clock and a wider
free throw lane, 18 feet instead of the standard 12. The American Basketball League was formed when
Abe Saperstein did not get the Los Angeles
National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise he sought. His
Harlem Globetrotters had strong NBA ties. When
Minneapolis Lakers owner
Bob Short was permitted to move the Lakers to Los Angeles, Saperstein reacted by convincing
National Alliance of Basketball Leagues (NABL) team owner Paul Cohen (Tuck Tapers) and
Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) National Champion
Cleveland Pipers owner
George Steinbrenner to take the top NABL and AAU teams and players and form a rival league. The league's franchises were: the
Chicago Majors (1961-1963);
Cleveland Pipers (1961-1962);
Kansas City Steers (1961-1963);
Long Beach Chiefs (1961-1963), as
Hawaii Chiefs in 1961-62;
Los Angeles Jets (1961-1962) — disbanded during season);
Oakland Oaks (1961-1963), as
San Francisco Saints in 1961-62; Philadelphia Tapers (1961-1963), as
Washington Tapers in 1961-62 — moved to New York during 1961-62 season, as
New York Tapers; and the
Pittsburgh Rens (1961-1963). The team was a failure in Washington, and Cohen transplanted the franchise mid-season — on January 2, 1962 — to
Commack, New York, renaming it the New York Tapers. They played their final game in New York at
Long Island Arena on March 14, 1962. ==Philadelphia Tapers 1962–1963==