The 1971–72 ABA season was the fifth season of the American Basketball Association. The Indiana Pacers won the championship, defeating the New York Nets, 4 games to 2, in the ABA Finals.
For the first time in the league's history, no franchise moved to a different state from the previous season. The only name change involved the Dallas Chaparrals , who were able to secure a lease in Dallas for the season and were re-named from the previous season's Texas Chaparrals.
Standings
Eastern Division
Western Division
Asterisk (*) denotes playoff team
Bold – ABA Champions
Playoffs
Awards and honors
ABA Most Valuable Player Award: Artis Gilmore, Kentucky Colonels
Rookie of the Year: Artis Gilmore, Kentucky Colonels
Coach of the Year: Tom Nissalke, Dallas Chaparrals
Playoffs MVP: Freddie Lewis, Indiana Pacers
All-Star Game MVP: Dan Issel, Kentucky Colonels
All-ABA First Team
Dan Issel, Kentucky Colonels (1st First Team selection, 2nd overall selection) Rick Barry, New York Nets (4th selection) Artis Gilmore, Kentucky Colonels Donnie Freeman, Dallas Chaparrals (1st First Team selection, 4th overall selection) Bill Melchionni, New York Nets All-ABA Second Team Willie Wise, Utah Stars Julius Erving, Virginia Squires Zelmo Beaty, Utah Stars (2nd selection) Ralph Simpson, Denver Rockets Charlie Scott, Virginia Squires All-ABA Rookie Team Julius Erving, Virginia Squires Artis Gilmore, Kentucky Colonels George McGinnis, Indiana Pacers Johnny Neumann, Memphis Pros John Roche, New York Nets