The NBA and ABA are the nation’s two largest professional basketball leagues. Founded in 1949 and 1967, respectively, they showcase the greatest basketball talent in the world, from the creator of the skyhook, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to the high-flying Dr. J. Now, in the 1976 offseason, both leagues stand at a turning point. A merger is inevitable, and this offseason will determine which teams survive and what the newly combined league will look like.