The Minnesota Muskies were a charter member of the American Basketball Association, born with the league's creation on February 2, 1967. L.P. Shields and Fred Jefferson bought in to create the franchise for $30,000. They played one season in Minnesota and then moved to become The Floridians. Minnesota was not left without an ABA team, however, as the league champion Pittsburgh Pipers relocated to Minneapolis as the Minnesota Pipers for the 1968-1969 ABA season.