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ORIGINAL ABA LEGEND · HALL CLASS 1993
Dan Issel
1975 ABA champion · 1971 Rookie of the Year · 6× ABA All-Star
POSITION F/CABA CLUBS 2HALL CLASS 1993
DIPLAYER PORTRAIT
COMING SOON
COMING SOON
13
Combined ABA + NBA regular-season career statistics. Values are shown to one decimal place.
THE BIOGRAPHY
THE PLAYER.
THE MOMENT.
THE LEGACY.
Issel paired relentless effort with a polished scoring touch. He became a beloved star in Kentucky and later helped carry Denver into the merged era.
SIGNATURE ABA STORY
His sustained production helped Kentucky finally capture the 1975 ABA championship.
WHY THE GAME REMEMBERS HIM
A durable, high-scoring big man whose consistency connected two of the league’s most important markets.
THE ABA JOURNEY
CLUBS &
COLORS.
Select any team mark to open its franchise story or continuing franchise history.
CAREER FILE
BUILT FOR
BASKETBALL
HISTORY.
1975 ABA champion · 1971 Rookie of the Year · 6× ABA All-Star
1975 ABA CHAMPIONNAISMITH HALL · 1993
VERIFY THE RECORD
HISTORY,
WITH RECEIPTS.
This positive player story is grounded in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee archive and Basketball-Reference’s combined professional career record.
OFFICIAL NAISMITH HALL PROFILE ↗COMPLETE CAREER STATISTICS ↗READY TO PARTICIPATE?CHOOSE YOUR ABA PATH.
THE ORIGINAL ABA · 1967–1976THE LEAGUE THAT TAUGHT BASKETBALL TO FLY.
THE FACE OF THE ABA
Julius “Dr. J” Erving
3× ABA MVP · 2× champion
Image: ABA archive
THE SCORER
Rick Barry
1969 champion · Oakland Oaks
Image: ABA archive
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARDS
Moses Malone
Utah Stars · Spirits of St. Louis
Image: ABA archive
THE A-TRAIN
Artis Gilmore
1972 MVP · 1975 champion
Image: ABA archive
THE ANCHOR
Mel Daniels
2× MVP · 3× champion
Image: ABA archive
THE FIRST STAR
Connie Hawkins
1968 MVP · champion · Playoffs MVP
Image: ABA archive
THE CHAMPION
Zelmo Beaty
1971 champion · Playoffs MVP
Image: ABA archiveCONNIE HAWKINSROGER BROWNLOUIE DAMPIERZELMO BEATYSPENCER HAYWOODDAVID THOMPSONLARRY KENONMACK CALVIN