Indiana Pacers 50th Anniversary: All-Decade Team, 1967-77

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 9:03 p.m. ET

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Nov 18, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; A general view of the 50 year logo on the court prior to the game between the Indiana Pacers and the Phoenix Suns at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Indiana Pacers are celebrating their 50th year as a franchise in 2017. Here we present the Pacers' All-Decade team for their first 10 years of existence, 1967-77.

The Indiana Pacers have a rich basketball history, but their nine-year run in the American Basketball Association (ABA) were the best of times for the franchise.

During the ABA years, the Pacers played in the league championship series five times, winning three ABA titles (1970, 1972 and 1973) under the leadership of legendary head coach Bobby "Slick" Leonard.

Indiana joined the NBA in 1976 along with three other ABA franchises: the San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets and New York Nets.

Even after all these years, the Pacers have yet to come close to the success they enjoyed during the glory years of the ABA.

In honor of the Indiana Pacers' 50th season as a franchise, we are naming an All-Decade team for each 10-year span in the team's history.

Each Pacers All-Decade team will have five members, and they are listed in alphabetical order. We begin with Indiana's initial and most successful decade, 1967-77.

Roger Brown

Statistics: 18.0 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 4.0 APG

Roger Brown is known as one of the best one-on-one players in the history of professional basketball, and despite his status as an all-time great, many of today's fans are sadly unaware of Brown's accomplishments.

Brown was the first player ever signed by the Indiana Pacers in 1967. The reason such a talented player was available to the upstart ABA was due to an unfortunate scandal that led to Roger Brown's ban from the NBA.

Brown was not directly involved in the college point-shaving scandal that led to his punishment, but because he was a known associate of gambler and accused point-shaver Jack Molinas, he was banned from ever playing in the NBA.

The NBA's loss was certainly the ABA's gain. Roger Brown went on to a stellar career with the Indiana Pacers, leading the team during their run of three championships in four years during the early 70s.

Brown is not only considered one of the greatest ABA players of all time, but one of the best players in the history of the game. In acknowledgment of this, Brown was posthumously inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.

Mel Daniels

Statistics: 19.4 PPG, 16.0 RPG, 1.9 APG

Center Mel Daniels was a dominant force for the Indiana Pacers during much of their first decade in professional basketball. Daniels was an effective inside scorer and one of the best rebounders in pro basketball history.

Daniels played one season for the Minnesota Muskies of the ABA before being dealt to the Pacers in 1968. Daniels spent six seasons in Indiana and was a huge part of all three ABA Championships won by the Pacers.

Mel Daniels has a basketball resume that can be matched by very few, including seven ABA All-Star appearances and two league MVP selections (1969 and 1971).

Daniels added toughness and intimidation to the Indiana Pacers in addition to his impressive statistical productivity.

Interestingly, after his playing days ended, Mel Daniels took an assistant coaching job at Indiana State University, working under his college head coach, Bob King. Daniels helped coach a young forward who would also make quite a name for himself in the basketball world: Larry Bird.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame welcomed Mel Daniels to its ranks in 2012, cementing his status as an all-time great in the annals of pro basketball.

Freddie Lewis

Statistics: 16.1 PPG, 4.0 APG, 3.9 RPG

Every great basketball team needs a floor general who runs the show — for the Indiana Pacers of this era, that man was Freddie Lewis.

Freddie Lewis' pro basketball career started humbly, as he was the 88th overall pick in the 1966 NBA Draft. After one NBA season with the Cincinnati Royals, Lewis joined the ABA's Indiana Pacers for a seven-year stretch that included all three of Indiana's ABA Championship seasons.

Freddie Lewis was a very good all-around player who could score, pass and even rebound from the point guard position. Lewis is considered by many to have been the heart and soul of the Pacers during their tremendously successful run in the early 1970s.

After the 1973-74 season, Indiana decided to start over and traded several of their key players, including Lewis. However, the Pacers brought Freddie Lewis back for the team's inaugural NBA season in 1976-77.

Lewis was one of only a handful of players to bridge the gap between the Pacers' ABA and NBA teams, which was fitting given Lewis' significant contributions to the franchise that put them in position to join the NBA after the ABA folded.

Freddie Lewis was a four-time ABA All-Star and was named MVP of the 1972 ABA Playoffs. Lewis' leadership and productivity were essential to the Pacers during their ABA dynasty, making him a valued member of the 1967-77 All-Decade team.

George McGinnis

Statistics: 19.6 PPG, 10.7 RPG, 3.3 APG

George McGinnis' connection with basketball and the state of Indiana started at a very early age. McGinnis is an Indianapolis native, won a high school state championship and played one season for Indiana University before joining the pro ranks.

McGinnis possessed a rare combination of speed, power and finesse that made him a force during his years in the ABA and NBA. "Big Mac" was a very young player during the Pacers' championship years, but he was a key component of their last two ABA title teams.

After his stellar career with Indiana in the ABA, McGinnis signed with the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA in 1975. He and Julius Erving, another former ABA superstar, led a deep and talented 76ers squad that made it to the NBA Finals in 1977.

Over the course of his 11-year career in professional basketball, McGinnis made a tremendous impact on both pro leagues, making the ABA and NBA All-Star teams three times each.

When the 2017 class of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame was announced recently, George McGinnis' name was deservedly included among the 11 inductees. McGinnis will be officially inducted into the Hall of Fame on Sept. 8.

Bob Netolicky

Statistics: 15.7 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 1.1 APG

It seems that most great teams have at least one player who is a real "character." For the Indiana Pacers of the early 70s, that player was Bob Netolicky.

"Neto" was a talented power forward, but he had a reputation of being a free spirit, and someone who's interest in playing hard came and went.

When Netolicky was dialed in, however, he was a very productive player. He also added some spice to the Pacers' locker room and had a way of keeping the mood light, which in retrospect, probably helped the team deal with the pressure of contending for championships year after year.

One of the great Bob Netolicky stories involved his fiery head coach at the time, Bobby "Slick" Leonard.

As mentioned, Neto had a habit of taking nights off (he played, but not with much interest). Leonard often chewed out Netolicky for his lazy attitude, but it all came to a head one night after a game in Minnesota.

Leonard reportedly chased Bob Netolicky with a hockey stick he found in the arena, and threatened to hit him with it if he didn't shape up. That incident may not have changed Netolicky, but it makes for great nostalgia among long-time Pacers fans.

Netolicky was not only a skilled player, but he did tend to come through for the team when they really needed him. Despite his flaws, Neto found a way to make himself an indispensable part of two ABA Championship teams in Indiana.

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