A team that competed in the American Basketball Association. The Squires played home games in Norfolk, Hampton, Richmond, and also a few in Roanoke in their first few years. Hall of Fame players Julius Erving (also known as Dr. J) and George Gervin (also known as the Iceman) played for the Virginia Squires.
The Squires' best seasons were in 1970-1971, when they won the Eastern Division with a 55-29 record and defeated the New York Nets in the Eastern Division Semifinals before losing the Eastern Division Finals 4 games to 2 to the Kentucky Colonels, and 1971-1972, when they finished second in the Eastern Division to the Kentucky Colonels, defeated The Floridians in the Eastern Division Semifinals and then lost the Eastern Division Finals 4 games to 3 to the New York Nets.
When the ABA merged with the NBA in 1976, the Squires, along with other teams like the Kentucky Colonels and Spirits of St. Louis, did not continue in the NBA, even though the Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs, New York Nets and Indiana Pacers did.
The Squires' best seasons were in 1970-1971, when they won the Eastern Division with a 55-29 record and defeated the New York Nets in the Eastern Division Semifinals before losing the Eastern Division Finals 4 games to 2 to the Kentucky Colonels, and 1971-1972, when they finished second in the Eastern Division to the Kentucky Colonels, defeated The Floridians in the Eastern Division Semifinals and then lost the Eastern Division Finals 4 games to 3 to the New York Nets.
When the ABA merged with the NBA in 1976, the Squires, along with other teams like the Kentucky Colonels and Spirits of St. Louis, did not continue in the NBA, even though the Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs, New York Nets and Indiana Pacers did.
The Virginia Squires were a great basketball team to watch in the 1970s, especially when they had future Hall of Famers Dr. J and the Iceman on the court.
by PMax March 9, 2008