The Kentucky Colonels Pennant ABA Basketball Champions with 9 Playoff Appearances

The Kentucky Colonles Pennant ABA Basketball Champions. This is an original pennant from the ABA Kentucky Colonles. 

The Kentucky Colonels were one of the ABA's most exciting teams and they still evoke sentimental feelings from their loyal Louisville fans. During the early years of the ABA, the Colonels were known more for their eye-catching green uniforms, their unique dog mascot, and their bizarre promotions than championship basketball. In 1968, they put the first female professional basketball player on the court in a real game (if only briefly). But as the years went on, the Colonels became a dominant ABA team. In fact, many observers believe that the later Colonels teams, anchored by Artis Gilmore in the middle, would have dominated most NBA teams. By the time the ABA folded in 1976, the Colonels had won the most regular season games in ABA history.

During their first four years of existence ("pre-Gilmore"), the Colonels posted a nondescript regular season record of 167-157. During that same period, they were a disappointing 21-22 in the playoffs. In those early years, some memorable Kentucky players were Goose Ligon, Sam Smith, George Tinsley, and Bobby Rascoe. The two brightest stars on the Kentucky roster, of course, were guards Louie Dampier and Darel Carrier. Both Dampier and Carrier were prolific three-point bombers. During their first three seasons together, the two combined to score an average of more than 50 points per game. Kentucky opponents prepared special defenses just to contain the long-range shooting of this pair. Recently, both Dampier and Carrier were named to the 30-Man ABA All-Time Team.

See Pics. Condition is good with one spot. Hard to find from defunct ABA teams. 

Product will ship rolled. 

The Kentucky Colonels were an American professional basketball team based in Louisville, Kentucky. They competed in the American Basketball Association (ABA) from 1967 to 1976. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky Colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of any franchise in the league's history. However, the team did not join the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the 1976 ABA–NBA merger. The downtown Louisville Convention Center (now known as The Gardens) was the Colonels' venue for their first three seasons before moving to Freedom Hall for the remaining seasons, beginning with the 1970–71 schedule.

The Kentucky Colonels and the Indiana Pacers were the only ABA teams to play for the entire duration of the league without moving, changing team names, or folding. The Colonels were also the only major league franchise in Kentucky since the Louisville Breckenridges left the National Football League in 1923.

They were equally famous for publicity stunts. In 1968, the team signed Penny Ann Early, the first licensed female horse racing jockey. In a game on November 27, 1968, Early inbounded the ball to Bobby Rascoe, making her the only woman to ever play in the ABA or NBA. A timeout was immediately called, and she was taken out of the game.

The team's biggest rival was the Indiana Pacers, reflecting their states' prominent college basketball programs. The two teams played in the same Eastern Division for the first three seasons before Indiana was reassigned to the Western. It was referred to in some circles as the "I-65 Series", referring to the Interstate that connected the two states; the two met five times in the playoffs, with each being the most common opponent played in the postseason.