Utah Stars

The team was founded as the Anaheim Amigos, a charter member of the ABA based in Anaheim, California. They played at the Anaheim Convention Center. The team's colors were orange and black. The Anaheim Amigos were founded by Art Kim, a Hawaii native who had long been active in basketball as a player, Amateur Athletic Union administrator and owner. The Amigos lost the very first ABA game to Oakland, 132-129. They finished their first season with 25 wins and 53 losses, good for fifth place in the Western Division but not good enough to make the playoffs.

The Amigos lost $500,000 in their first season, largely due to poor attendance; they only averaged 1,500 fans per game in a 7,500-seat arena. Kim realized he did not have the resources to keep going and sold the team to construction company owner Jim Kirst, who moved the team as the Los Angeles Stars in 1968 and played at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles. The franchise made an attempt to sign legendary center Wilt Chamberlain, but in the end he did not sign with the Stars. With 33 wins and 45 losses, the Stars improved from their first season but again finished fifth in the Western Division and did not make the playoffs.

In October 1969 the Stars signed Zelmo Beaty away from the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, but Beaty had to sit out the season due to a one-year option held by the Hawks, which the Stars would not buy out for $75,000. First year players Mack Calvin and Willie Wise signed with the Stars. The Stars finished fourth in the Western Division with a record of 43-41, earning the first winning season in franchise history and a playoff berth. The Stars defeated the Dallas Chaparrals 4 games to 2 in the Western Division semifinals and bested the Denver Rockets 4 games to 1 in the semifinals before losing the ABA championship series 4 games to 2 to the Indiana Pacers. Kirst had not anticipated the fast turnaround, and did not book the Sports Arena for several dates. They had to play several first and second-round games in their old home in Anaheim, as well as at the Long Beach Sports Arena in Long Beach. This turned out to be their final game as the Los Angeles Stars.

In their first season in Salt Lake City, the Stars dominated their way to a 57-27 record and a 2nd-place finish in the Western Division standings, a game behind the Indiana Pacers. In the Western Division Semifinals, the Stars would go on to sweep the Texas Chaparrals and then stunned the Pacers in game 7 of the Western Division Finals, earning a spot in the ABA Championship.

The Stars would face the Kentucky Colonels in the ABA Championship. In game one a near-capacity crowd filed into the Salt Palace to watch the Stars defeat Kentucky 136-117. The Stars set an ABA Playoff record by scoring 50 points in the 2nd quarter. In game 2, the series continued its high scoring with the Stars beating Kentucky 138-125. The series shifted to Louisville and Kentucky took games 3 and 4, tying the series up at 2-2. The series then returned to Salt Lake City, where the Stars beat Kentucky 137-127, taking a 3-2 series lead. The Stars looked to wrap up the ABA Championship with a game 6 victory in Louisville. However Kentucky clawed their way to a 7th game, barely beating the Stars 105-102, sending the series to a decisive 7th game back in Salt Lake City.

With the ABA Championship on the line, an ABA record crowd of 13,260 packed into the Salt Palace[11] to watch game 7 of the 1971 ABA Championship. The game remained close throughout, however the Stars pulled away late, winning the 1971 ABA Championship 131-121. [12] As the game ended, hundreds of Stars fans rushed the court, lifting players onto their shoulders in a jubilant celebration. The actions were a total surprise to Stars officials, as they had not anticipated such a reaction from the fans.

The ABA teams frequently played exhibition games in the preseason vs. NBA teams. While the ABA overall had a winning record vs. the NBA in head to head competition, the Stars had an overall record of 7-9 against NBA teams.

The Stars' first game against the NBA was a 96-89 loss at home to the New York Knicks on September 28, 1971. The Stars lost their first four games against NBA teams, earning their first win against that league with a win against the Seattle SuperSonics in Honolulu, Hawaii on September 24, 1972.

Other Stars wins against the NBA include defeating the Boston Celtics at home on October 4, 1973 (part of a double header in which 12,431 Utah fans also saw the ABA's Denver Rockets defeat the NBA's Phoenix Suns 113-111 prior to the Stars' win); a home win against the Kansas City-Omaha Kings on October 8, 1974; a home win against the SuperSonics on October 7, 1975; a win against the Kings on October 11, 1975 in Denver as part of a double header in which 17,018 fans saw the Denver Nuggets lose to the NBA's Golden State Warriors 115-100); and a 118-108 road win against the SuperSonics in Seattle on October 15, 1975.

In the very last game ever played between ABA and NBA teams, the Stars defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 106-101 in Salt Lake City on October 21, 1975. (In the penultimate ABA vs. NBA matchup, the ABA's Kentucky Colonels defeated the Washington Bullets 121-111 two nights prior.)

Zelmo Beaty won the ABA Playoffs Most Valuable Player Award after leading the Stars to the 1971 ABA title.

• Zelmo Beaty
• Ron Boone
• Jimmy Jones
• Moses Malone
• Rick Mount
• Willie Wise

Note: W = wins, L = losses, % = win–loss %

• 1 ABA Western Division regular season runner up (1970–71)
• 3 ABA Western Division regular season championships (1971–72, 1972–93, 1973–74)
• 2 ABA Western Division playoff runners up (1971–72, 1972–73)
• 3 ABA Western Division playoff championships (1969–1970, 1970–71, 1973–74)
• 1 ABA Championship (1970–71)
• .321 winning percentage in ABA regular season games as the Anaheim Amigos
• .469 winning percentage in ABA regular season games as the Los Angeles Stars
• .571 winning percentage in ABA playoffs as the Utah Stars
• .588 winning percentage in ABA playoffs as the Los Angeles Stars (only the Pittsburgh Condors and Oakland Oaks did better)
• .608 winning percentage in ABA regular season games as the Utah Stars
• 3 number of cities the franchise called home (Anaheim, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City)
• 7 number of playoff games lost as the Los Angeles Stars
• 10 number of playoff games won as the Los Angeles Stars
• 25 number of regular season games won as the Anaheim Amigos
• 27 number of playoff games lost as the Utah Stars
• 36 number of playoff games won as the Utah Stars
• 53 number of regular season games lost as the Anaheim Amigos
• 76 number of regular season games won as the Los Angeles Stars
• 86 number of regular season games lost as the Los Angeles Stars
• 171 number of regular season games lost as the Utah Stars
• 265 number of regular season games won as the Utah Stars
• 12,166 capacity at the Salt Palace
• 13,260 crowd at the Salt Palace for Game 7 of the 1971 ABA championship series
• $30,000 cost to enter the Amigos as an original ABA franchise in 1967
• 262,342 attendance during their first season in Salt Lake City
• $450,000 sale price of the Amigos franchise in 1968
• $500,000 lost in the Amigos' first season in Anaheim
• $850,000 sale price of the Stars franchise in 1970
• As the Utah Stars, the team's regular season winning percentage was .608, second only to the Minnesota Muskies (notably, the Muskies played only one season); however, if the franchise's Anaheim and Los Angeles games are included, the Kentucky Colonels have a higher winning percentage, at .602.

• Remember the ABA page for the Utah Stars
• Audio of the final seconds of the Stars game 7 victory over Kentucky.