Ozzie (December 27, 1932 – April 26, 2016[1]) and Daniel (born August 26, 1944[citation needed]) Silna are American businessmen of Latvian descent[2][3] best known for their success in the textile industry, as well as being co-owners of the American Basketball Association's Spirits of St. Louis and the lucrative deal cut to fold that team during the ABA-NBA merger.
After an attempt to buy the Detroit Pistons fell short, the Silnas purchased the ABA's Carolina Cougars franchise with the expectation of moving it into the NBA with the impending merger of the two leagues.
[9] The Spirits were not included in the ABA-NBA merger, with the St. Louis and Kentucky players being put into a special dispersal draft.
Twelve players from the final two Spirits of St. Louis rosters (1974–76) played in the NBA during the 1976–77 season and beyond: Maurice Lucas, Ron Boone, Marvin Barnes, Caldwell Jones, Lonnie Shelton, Steve Green, Gus Gerard, Moses Malone, Don Adams, Don Chaney, M. L. Carr and Freddie Lewis.
[11] While the Silna brothers were left out of the NBA, they nonetheless managed to turn it into one of the greatest deals in the history of professional sports.
[16] [15] However, the Spirits held out for more[17] and in June 1976, the owners of the four merging ABA teams, the Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, New York Nets and the San Antonio Spurs, agreed to pay the St. Louis owners $2.2 million (equivalent to $11.8 million in 2023) in cash up front and an additional 1/7 share of each of the four remaining teams' television broadcast revenue "for as long as the NBA or its successors continues in its existence" in return for the Spirits folding.
[15][5][13][18] This was based on the principle that all seven remaining ABA franchise should get an equal share in the TV revenue of the merged teams.
The contract defined broadcast revenue very broadly, which their attorney during the merger negotiations, Donald Schupak, pointed out "could not be evaded or made obsolete".
[22] The Silna brothers had received roughly $300 million in revenue as of 2014,[23] despite the fact that the Spirits never played an NBA game nor dealt with the costs of fielding a team.
[26][28][23][21] Also, the Silnas will drop their litigation against the league seeking a share of additional media revenue streams, with the NBA agreeing to grant some of the disputed funds to the Spirits.