Mel Daniels
ABA legend and Hall of Famer Mel Daniels was a dominant rebounder and three-time champion with the Indiana Pacers.
via Wikipedia: Mel Daniels · see source
Melvin Joe Daniels (July 20, 1944 – October 30, 2015) was an American professional basketball player. He played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) for the Minnesota Muskies, Indiana Pacers, and Memphis Sounds, and in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the New York Nets. One of the greatest players in ABA history, Daniels was a two-time ABA Most Valuable Player, three-time ABA Champion and a seven-time ABA All-Star. Daniels was the All-time ABA rebounding leader, and in 1997, he was named a unanimous selection to the ABA All-Time Team. Daniels was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.
Quick Facts
- Born
- 20 July 1944
- Birthplace
- Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
- Died
- 30 October 2015
- Place of death
- Sheridan, Indiana, U.S.
- High school
- John J. Pershing (Detroit, Michigan)
- College
- Southeastern CC (1963–1964); New Mexico (1964–1967)
- Draft round
- 1
- Drafted by
- Cincinnati Royals
Lore & Background
Daniels is the ABA's all-time leader in total rebounds and second in ABA career average rebounds (15.12) behind only fellow Hall of Famer Artis Gilmore of the Kentucky Colonels (17.07).
Reader's Guide
Daniels was a two-time ABA Most Valuable Player, three-time ABA Champion, and seven-time ABA All-Star. He led the ABA in rebounding average in three different seasons. His seven All-Star selections are tied with Louie Dampier for most in ABA history.
Did You Know?
- Daniels was the first NBA first-round pick to snub the established league and go to the ABA.
- He wrote poetry throughout his life, generally focusing on the lives of athletes.
- Daniels suffered a severe injury when he put his arm through a glass door at Johnson Gymnasium, requiring 352 stitches.
- He had 44 career double-doubles at New Mexico, still the most in school history.
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