Buffalo Braves
The Buffalo Memorial Auditorium echoed with the squeak of sneakers on the 12th of October 1970. It was opening night for a new basketball team called the Braves. They were one of three expansion franchises entering the National Basketball Association that season alongside the Portland Trail Blazers and Cleveland Cavaliers. Paul Snyder had just purchased the franchise for four million dollars after Neuberger Loeb, an investment firm from New York City, failed to keep control. Snyder was thirty-three years old and had recently sold his Freezer Queen business. He needed to fill seats in a building shared with the Buffalo Sabres hockey team and local college squads. The Braves received only third choice for game dates behind the Sabres and Canisius College Golden Griffins. From 1971 through 1975 they played sixteen home games at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto to make up for scheduling conflicts. Their first head coach was Hall of Famer Dolph Schayes. Bob Kauffman and Don May were their initial stars acquired in the 1970 NBA expansion draft. The team finished its debut season with a twenty-two win and sixty-loss record. They placed seven games ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers who went fifteen wins and sixty-seven losses.
Bob McAdoo stood atop the statistical mountain during the 1974, 75 season. He averaged thirty-four point five points per game and fourteen point one rebounds while shooting fifty-one point two percent from the field. The league named him Most Valuable Player that year. His teammate Ernie DiGregorio won Rookie of the Year after leading the NBA in assists and free throw percentage during the 1973, 74 campaign. McAdoo posted averages of thirty point six points and fifteen point one rebounds in the 1973, 74 season. No player has matched those combined numbers since then. The Braves made their first playoff appearance in 1974 against the Boston Celtics. They lost the series in six games despite McAdoo's dominance. The team reached the playoffs again in 1974, 75 and 1975, 76. Randy Smith earned All-Star honors in 1976 and later won the All-Star Game MVP award in 1978. Bob Kauffman appeared on three Eastern Conference All-Star teams between 1971 and 1973. Elmore Smith was selected to the All-Rookie First Team in 1972.
Paul Snyder offered Father James Demske one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars per game for Saturday night dates at the Memorial Auditorium. The Canisius College president turned down the offer because he believed basketball threatened the Little Three college rivalry. This dispute forced the entire NBA schedule into limbo until hockey and college schedules were finalized. The league gave Snyder five years to resolve the issue or face consequences. By 1976 Snyder faced severe pressure to sell the team due to these scheduling headaches. He blamed the Sabres owners Northrup and Seymour Knox for representing old money while he held nouveau riche status. The Braves drew close to league average attendance and solid broadcasting ratings before the conflict escalated. WBEN radio with Van Miller called play-by-play for most of the team's existence. Snyder claimed their broadcasts outperformed Sabres ratings at the time. The city filed a ten million dollar damage suit when Snyder tried to move the team to Florida in June 1976. A new fifteen-year lease signed in July included a clause requiring five thousand season ticket sales annually.
John Y. Brown Jr. bought fifty percent of the franchise from Paul Snyder during the 1976, 77 season. He intended to relocate the team to Louisville to revive his former Kentucky Colonels. Unable to find a co-owner he resold half the stake to Harry T. Mangurian Jr. Brown and Mangurian dismantled the roster immediately after taking control. Coach Dr. Jack Ramsay left for the Portland Trail Blazers because he did not want his career hurt by the ownership change. McAdoo was traded to the New York Knicks midway through the season for players and cash. Moses Malone played only six minutes across two games before being sent to Houston for draft picks. The team went through four head coaches between 1976 and 1978 including Tates Locke, Bob MacKinnon, Joe Mullaney and Cotton Fitzsimmons. John Y. Brown negotiated a deal with Irv Levin who owned the Boston Celtics. They swapped franchises so Brown could take the Celtics while Levin moved the Braves to San Diego. David Stern brokered the transaction as NBA general counsel. The league voted twenty-one to one to allow the move after the 1977, 78 season.
The first season uniforms featured blue red and gold colors with white home jerseys displaying lettering in red and gold only. Road uniforms were blue with matching accents. James Ludtka influenced the second season design which adopted orange black and white from the Baltimore Orioles. His diagonal stripes appeared on both jerseys and shorts with orange as the predominant road color. This scheme lasted until 1973 when Columbia blue and white replaced the previous palette. Black accents outlined the lettering and striping on all uniforms thereafter. The feather B logo remained black and orange even though it disappeared from actual game wear by 1974. The original feather sunburst logo has never been used since the team relocated. Steve Ballmer later acknowledged the franchise history through occasional throwback uniforms during Clippers games. Buffalo throwback merchandise became available at team venues despite de-emphasizing Native American references outside the name itself.
The Braves remain the last New York State-based NBA team located outside New York City as of 2025. Current Clippers operations acknowledge the franchise through periodic throwback nights and sales of vintage merchandise. The team refused to relinquish the Braves trademark in 2005 when an expansion ABA franchise sought to use it. That new team instead became the Buffalo Rapids. Bob McAdoo was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000 after his tenure from 1972 to 1976. Moses Malone joined him in 2001 following a brief stint with the Braves in 1976. Adrian Dantley earned Hall of Fame status in 2008 after playing for Buffalo between 1976 and 1977. Jack Ramsay received induction in 1992 while Cotton Fitzsimmons was honored in 2021. Eddie Donovan won Executive of the Year in 1974. Randy Smith claimed All-Star Game MVP honors in 1978 during his final season with the club.
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Common questions
When did the Buffalo Braves play their first game in 1970?
The Buffalo Braves played their first game on the 12th of October 1970 at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. This opening night marked the start of their tenure as one of three expansion franchises entering the National Basketball Association that season.
Who was the head coach of the Buffalo Braves during their debut season?
Hall of Famer Dolph Schayes served as the first head coach for the Buffalo Braves. He led the team through their initial years before other coaches like Dr. Jack Ramsay and Tates Locke took over later.
Why did Paul Snyder sell the Buffalo Braves to John Y. Brown Jr?
Paul Snyder sold fifty percent of the franchise to John Y. Brown Jr. during the 1976, 77 season due to severe scheduling conflicts with the Buffalo Sabres and Canisius College. These disputes forced the entire NBA schedule into limbo until hockey and college schedules were finalized.
What happened to the Buffalo Braves after the 1977, 78 season ended?
The league voted twenty-one to one to allow the move of the Buffalo Braves to San Diego after the 1977, 78 season. David Stern brokered the transaction where Irv Levin acquired the Boston Celtics while the Braves relocated to become the San Diego Clippers.
Which players from the Buffalo Braves are in the Hall of Fame?
Bob McAdoo was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000 following his tenure from 1972 to 1976. Moses Malone joined him in 2001 after a brief stint with the team in 1976, and Adrian Dantley earned Hall of Fame status in 2008 after playing for Buffalo between 1976 and 1977.