Joe Gushue was a highly respected referee in the American Basketball Association

American Basketball Association

The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...

 and the National Basketball Association

National Basketball Association

The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

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In 1969, when the upstart American Basketball Association was raiding the NBA for talent, Gushue, along with three other top NBA "lead" referees—John Vanak

John Vanak

John Vanak was a referee in the American Basketball Association and the National Basketball Association.In 1969, when the upstart American Basketball Association was raiding the NBA for talent, Vanak, along with three other top NBA "lead" referees — Joe Gushue, Earl Strom and Norm Drucker - jumped...

, Earl Strom

Earl Strom

Earl "Yogi" Strom was a professional basketball referee for 29 years in the National Basketball Association and for three years in the American Basketball Association . Strom is credited as the greatest referee in the history of the NBA and was known for his flamboyant style and ability to...

, and Norm Drucker

Norm Drucker

Norm Drucker was a major influence in professional basketball officiating for over thirty-five years.He refereed in the National Basketball Association from 1953 to 1969...

—jumped to the ABA with multi-year contracts paying much higher salaries than NBA officials received. As a result, professional officiating salaries dramatically increased.

Gushue officiated in the 1965 NBA All-Star Game

1965 NBA All-Star Game

GAME 15: at St. Louis, Jan. 13, 1965MVP: Jerry LucasCoaches: East: Red Auerbach, West: Alex Hannum.-Western Conference: -Eastern Conference: -Score by Periods: *Halftime— East, 75-61*Third Quarter— East, 107-91*Officials: Mendy Rudolph and Joe Gushue...

, 1969 NBA All-Star Game

1969 NBA All-Star Game

GAME 19: at Baltimore, Jan. 14, 1969MVP: Oscar RobertsonCoaches: East: Gene Shue, West: Richie Guerin.Network: ABC-Eastern Conference: -Western Conference: -Score by Periods: *Halftime— East, 60-53*Third Quarter— East, 86-83...

, 1971 ABA All-Star Game

1971 ABA All-Star Game

GAME 4: at Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina, January 23, 1971MVP: Mel Daniels, Indiana PacersCoaches:* East: Al Bianchi, Virginia Squires* West: Bill Sharman, Utah Stars-Western Conference: -Eastern Conference: -Score by Periods:...

, 1977 NBA Finals

1977 NBA Finals

The 1977 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1976-77 NBA season. The Portland Trail Blazers of the Western Conference played against the Philadelphia 76ers of the Eastern Conference, with the 76ers holding home-court advantage. Their 4 regular season meetings had been...

, 1980 NBA All-Star Game

1980 NBA All-Star Game

GAME 30: at the Capital Centre in Landover, Md., Feb. 3, 1980MVP: George GervinCoaches: East: Billy Cunningham, West: Lenny Wilkens.Television: CBSAnnouncers: Brent Musburger, Bill Russell, Rod Hundley-Western Conference: -Eastern Conference:...

 and 1980 NBA Finals

1980 NBA Finals

The 1980 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1979–80 NBA season.Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the league's MVP. But midway through Game 5, the Laker center suffered a severely sprained ankle. He managed to come back in the game in the 4th quarter to lead the Lakers to victory...

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