They said, ‘If you sign Marques Johnson, the merger is …

Q: What happened in 1976 involving Marques Johnson and the NBA-ABA merger?

In 1976, the NBA warned that if the Denver Nuggets signed Marques Johnson without a Draft, the merger with the ABA would be jeopardized.

Q: Why did Larry Brown and Herb Brown stop talking for over 20 years?

Larry Brown and Herb Brown had a fallout over the incident involving Marques Johnson, which led to a rift that lasted more than two decades.

Marques Johnson: The memory that stands out and I think about more than anything is from 1976. I was going to go pro with the Denver Nuggets. They were still in the ABA right before the merger. Everything fell through. The NBA found out that they were going to sign me without going through the Draft. They said, ‘If you sign Marques Johnson, the merger is off.’ So Larry Brown (Nuggets coach) and Herb Brown (Pistons coach) didn’t talk for over 20 years over that.

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This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: They said, ‘If you sign Marques Johnson, the merger is …