Mel Daniels, who led the ABA Indiana Pacers during the franchise’s heavenly days as a two-time Most Valuable Player and seven-time All-Star and later was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012, has died. He was 71.
Daniels rose to prominence as one of the most dominant big men in American Basketball Association history. Daniels, a 6-9 center, played eight years in the ABA and led the league in rebounding three times.
Daniels averaged 15.1 rebounds per game and finished his ABA career as the league’s all-time leader in rebounding with 9,494. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2012 by the ABA Committee.