An ABA co-founder, a 76ers Hall of Famer, the architect of "Showtime," a Celtics Finals MVP, and the first black NBA team captain were amongst those we lost in 2018.
1) Hal Greer, born 1936
Drafted by the Nationals in the second round in 1958, he spent his entire 15-year career with the franchise (five as the Nationals, then 10 as the Philadelphia 76ers), becoming one of its all-time greatest legends. Greer is remembered first and foremost as the starting shooting guard (and second leading scorer) on one of the greatest teams of all time, the '66-'67 76ers that won the NBA title. He was 2nd-Team All-NBA seven times, an All-Star 10 times, and named MVP of the 1968 All-Star Game. His post-retirement accolades include his #15 being retired by the Sixers (who also unveiled a statue of him in 2017 outside their training facility), his hometown in West Virginia renaming a street after him, and a 1982 induction into the Hall of Fame. Greer became just the ninth member of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players list from 1997 to pass away, following Wilt Chamberlain, Dave DeBusschere, Paul Arizin, Pete Maravich, George Mikan, Dolph Schayes, Bill Sharman, and Nate Thurmond.
2) C.M. Newton, born 1930
Though he was a (minor) contributor to the '50-'51 Kentucky basketball team that Adolph Rupp coached to their third NCAA title in four years, Newton's first love was baseball. After starring in the sport at the NCAA level, he spent some time in the Yankees' minor league system but could never catch on the MLB. Thus Newton returned to basketball, this time as a coach, first for 12 seasons at Transylvania (the small private school in Kentucky, not the home of Dracula), then 12 seasons at Alabama, and then eight seasons at Vanderbilt. He compiled over 500 career coaching wins, won SEC Coach of the Year six times, and led Vanderbilt as far as the Sweet 16 in 1988 (behind star center Will Perdue). After an eventful stint as the NCAA's Rules Committee chairman, Newton returned to his alma mater as athletic director, taking over a program in disarray due to a probation. He immediately hired Rick Pitino as coach and during Newton's tenure the Wildcats reached four Final Fours and won two championships. He also served as the president of U.S.A. basketball during this time, and was instrumental in bringing the Dream Team to Barcelona. In 2000 he was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a contributor.
3) Billy Kenville, born 1930
He spent six seasons in the NBA, most notably as part of the '54-'55 Syracuse Nationals team that won the franchise's only championship before moving to Philadelphia in 1963 and becoming the 76ers. Kenville came off the bench for that team at shooting guard behind the great Paul Seymour, and averaged 7.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game, all of which exactly match his career averages. But he did score a team-high 15 points in the deciding game seven of the NBA Finals against the Pistons, sparking a 17-point comeback for the Nationals. Raised in Queens, Kenville moved to upstate New York to play for St. Bonaventure, then remained in the area when the Nationals drafted him in 1953. He also played on the '53-'54 Syracuse team that lost a tough seven-game NBA Finals series to the Lakers.
4) Anne Donovan, born 1961
Standing 6'8" and possessing a wide array of skills, she's on the short list of the greatest women's basketball players of the pre-WNBA era and later became a legend at the coaching level as well. The NCAA Women's Tournament started during her time at Old Dominion, and she finished her college career by leading her school to the second-ever Final Four in 1983. There were few, if any, pro prospects for women basketball players in the U.S. at the time, so Donovan played for teams in Japan and Italy before retiring to become a coach. After spending some time at her alma mater as an assistant, she eventually coached five WNBA teams, including the Seattle Storm, whom she led to the championship in 2004. Donovan is also a legend at the FIBA level, having earned gold medals as a player at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics (she was also scheduled to compete in 1980 until the boycott), then as an assistant coach in 2004 and as a head coach in 2008.
5) Donnie Forman, born 1926
Though his NBA career lasted just one season, it did end with a championship. Forman was a backup guard on the '48-'49 Minneapolis Lakers that won the first title of the George Mikan era. Like many players of his time, Forman quickly realized that being a role player in the NBA wasn't a particularly viable career choice, so he retired as a champion and returned home to New York, where he had starred at NYU, to work for a clothing retailer, and eventually became a successful trial lawyer.
6) Vic Bubas, born 1927
Though coach Mike Krzyzewski rightfully receives the majority of the credit for building the Duke basketball program into what it is today, Bubas laid the initial groundwork back in the '60s. His playing days came with the cross-state NC State Wolfpack, and he stayed on there as an assistant coach for several years before accepting the Duke job in 1959. The Blue Devils had enjoyed some modest success under his predecessor, Harold Bradley, but Bubas propelled the program into elite status. Using a then innovative technique of recruiting where he targeted players long before their senior year of high school, Bubas was able to start stealing five star prep players from the top flight southern schools like North Carolina and Kentucky. Under his tutelage, Duke made its first ever Final Four appearance in 1963, its first National Final appearance in 1964, and its first #1 ranking in the AP poll during the '65-'66 season. Cited often as a huge influence on modern recruiting, including specifically by Dean Smith, Bubas was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.
7) Rasual Butler, born 1979
8) Jo Jo White, born 1946
One of just five Celtics players to win Finals MVP (keep in the mind the award didn't exist in Bill Russell's era), White took home the trophy in 1976. He was a workhorse in that series, logging 46.5 minutes per game (including all 60 in the legendary double-overtime game five), averaging 21.7 points, 5.8 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per gam. His nine-plus seasons in Boston also included a title in 1974 as the starting point guard, seven All-Star appearances, and two 2nd-Team All-NBA designations. Drafted ninth overall by the Celtics in 1969, White was an All-American at Kansas and had a star turn on the 1968 U.S. Olympic team that won gold in Mexico City. Both Kansas and the Celtics retired his jersey, and in 2015 he was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame.
12) Tex Winter, born 1922
It was originally called the "triple-post" offense and Winter literally wrote the book on it in 1962, when he was coaching at Kansas State. It was later re-christened as the triangle offense and it's no hyperbole to say that it was the most important basketball strategy innovation of the last half of the 20th century. After 15 seasons coaching the Wildcats that included Final Four appearances in 1958 and 1964, Winter eventually found himself as an assistant coach on the Bulls, starting in 1985. His triangle offense, which was predicated on spacing and precise passing, proved adaptable not just for Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, but later for Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant when Winter followed Phil Jackson to the Lakers. He won nine championship rings as an assistant coach before finally retiring in 2008 (he earned one more as a "consultant" for the '08-'09 Lakers). After suffering a stroke in 2009, Winter rarely made public appearances, and his son, Chris, gave an acceptance speech on his behalf during his 2011 Naismith Hall of Fame induction.
The heroics of Bill Russell obviously come to mind first when reminiscing on the Celtics' 11 titles between 1957 and 1969, likely followed by John Havlicek, Sam Jones, and Bob Cousy. But it was Ramsey, the team's sometime starting small forward and sometime sixth man extraordinaire, that provided the play that got the dynasty started. Game seven of the 1957 NBA Finals against the Hawks went to double overtime, where Ramsey hit the series-winning jumper at the buzzer to give Boston its first title. He came off the bench in that game as he did in many games, as coach Red Auerbach molded him into the prototypical sixth man, able to play several positions and provide instant scoring and defense off the bench. Ramsey actually got his start with the Celtics in 1954 in the starting lineup alongside Cousy and Bill Sharman, but took a year off for military service and lost his position to Jim Loscutoff, necessitating his revolutionary bench role. Seven NBA titles followed before Ramsey retired in 1964, and in 1981 he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, based in large part on his stellar amateur career at Kentucky.
14) Bob Bass, born 1929
Initially hired to coach the team, Bass eventually became synonymous with the Spurs franchise as a general manager, holding that role for 20 seasons. The Spurs never reached the ABA or NBA Finals in his tenure there, but he did lay the framework for the 1999 title by drafting David Robinson and Sean Elliott and signing Avery Johnson. Bass occasionally stepped back into the coaching role as well, taking over for interim stints in 1980, 1984, and 1992, after firing Doug Moe, Morris McHone, and Larry Brown, respectively. He left the Spurs in 1995 to take over as GM of the Hornets, during which time he won a second Executive of the Year award, but also made the fateful decision to trade away Kobe Bryant on draft day in 1996.
15) Willie Naulls, born 1934
Born in Dallas in 1934, Naulls moved to California as a child with his family to escape segregation. He became a basketball star at San Pedro High School, then one of the first great players to matriculate under John Wooden at UCLA. When Naulls was then drafted by the Hawks in 1956, he wasn't prepared for the still ongoing segregation and racial disparity in St. Louis, and was relieved to be traded to the Knicks during his rookie season. While playing in New York, he was named to four All-Star teams, and in 1960 became the first black athlete in any major American professional sport to be named a team captain. He would eventually add another racial accolade to his resume in 1964, while playing for the Celtics, when he joined Bill Russell, K.C. Jones, Sam Jones, and Satch Sanders as the first ever all-black starting lineup. Naulls won three titles with the Celtics, capping off a successful career that ended in 1966.
16) Dick Tinkham, born 1932
He was a co-captain on the basketball team at DePauw in the '50s, but his playing days are only a small part of what make Tinkham a giant of Indiana basketball history. He was working at a law firm in his native Indianapolis in the late '60s when he and a partner co-founded the Indiana Pacers as an original ABA franchise. Tinkham was instrumental in the rebel league's success, not just as the owner of the best franchise, a Pacers team that reached five ABA Finals in nine years, winning three of them, but also in cutting deals and making decision that helped keep the ABA afloat through difficult times. He championed pro basketball in Indiana and was instrumental in getting the Market Square Arena built in the early '70s, allowing the Pacers to move out of their cramped former home at the Indiana state fairgrounds.
Drafted by the Nationals in the second round in 1958, he spent his entire 15-year career with the franchise (five as the Nationals, then 10 as the Philadelphia 76ers), becoming one of its all-time greatest legends. Greer is remembered first and foremost as the starting shooting guard (and second leading scorer) on one of the greatest teams of all time, the '66-'67 76ers that won the NBA title. He was 2nd-Team All-NBA seven times, an All-Star 10 times, and named MVP of the 1968 All-Star Game. His post-retirement accolades include his #15 being retired by the Sixers (who also unveiled a statue of him in 2017 outside their training facility), his hometown in West Virginia renaming a street after him, and a 1982 induction into the Hall of Fame. Greer became just the ninth member of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players list from 1997 to pass away, following Wilt Chamberlain, Dave DeBusschere, Paul Arizin, Pete Maravich, George Mikan, Dolph Schayes, Bill Sharman, and Nate Thurmond.
2) C.M. Newton, born 1930
Though he was a (minor) contributor to the '50-'51 Kentucky basketball team that Adolph Rupp coached to their third NCAA title in four years, Newton's first love was baseball. After starring in the sport at the NCAA level, he spent some time in the Yankees' minor league system but could never catch on the MLB. Thus Newton returned to basketball, this time as a coach, first for 12 seasons at Transylvania (the small private school in Kentucky, not the home of Dracula), then 12 seasons at Alabama, and then eight seasons at Vanderbilt. He compiled over 500 career coaching wins, won SEC Coach of the Year six times, and led Vanderbilt as far as the Sweet 16 in 1988 (behind star center Will Perdue). After an eventful stint as the NCAA's Rules Committee chairman, Newton returned to his alma mater as athletic director, taking over a program in disarray due to a probation. He immediately hired Rick Pitino as coach and during Newton's tenure the Wildcats reached four Final Fours and won two championships. He also served as the president of U.S.A. basketball during this time, and was instrumental in bringing the Dream Team to Barcelona. In 2000 he was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a contributor.
3) Billy Kenville, born 1930
He spent six seasons in the NBA, most notably as part of the '54-'55 Syracuse Nationals team that won the franchise's only championship before moving to Philadelphia in 1963 and becoming the 76ers. Kenville came off the bench for that team at shooting guard behind the great Paul Seymour, and averaged 7.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game, all of which exactly match his career averages. But he did score a team-high 15 points in the deciding game seven of the NBA Finals against the Pistons, sparking a 17-point comeback for the Nationals. Raised in Queens, Kenville moved to upstate New York to play for St. Bonaventure, then remained in the area when the Nationals drafted him in 1953. He also played on the '53-'54 Syracuse team that lost a tough seven-game NBA Finals series to the Lakers.
4) Anne Donovan, born 1961
Standing 6'8" and possessing a wide array of skills, she's on the short list of the greatest women's basketball players of the pre-WNBA era and later became a legend at the coaching level as well. The NCAA Women's Tournament started during her time at Old Dominion, and she finished her college career by leading her school to the second-ever Final Four in 1983. There were few, if any, pro prospects for women basketball players in the U.S. at the time, so Donovan played for teams in Japan and Italy before retiring to become a coach. After spending some time at her alma mater as an assistant, she eventually coached five WNBA teams, including the Seattle Storm, whom she led to the championship in 2004. Donovan is also a legend at the FIBA level, having earned gold medals as a player at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics (she was also scheduled to compete in 1980 until the boycott), then as an assistant coach in 2004 and as a head coach in 2008.
5) Donnie Forman, born 1926
Though his NBA career lasted just one season, it did end with a championship. Forman was a backup guard on the '48-'49 Minneapolis Lakers that won the first title of the George Mikan era. Like many players of his time, Forman quickly realized that being a role player in the NBA wasn't a particularly viable career choice, so he retired as a champion and returned home to New York, where he had starred at NYU, to work for a clothing retailer, and eventually became a successful trial lawyer.
6) Vic Bubas, born 1927
Though coach Mike Krzyzewski rightfully receives the majority of the credit for building the Duke basketball program into what it is today, Bubas laid the initial groundwork back in the '60s. His playing days came with the cross-state NC State Wolfpack, and he stayed on there as an assistant coach for several years before accepting the Duke job in 1959. The Blue Devils had enjoyed some modest success under his predecessor, Harold Bradley, but Bubas propelled the program into elite status. Using a then innovative technique of recruiting where he targeted players long before their senior year of high school, Bubas was able to start stealing five star prep players from the top flight southern schools like North Carolina and Kentucky. Under his tutelage, Duke made its first ever Final Four appearance in 1963, its first National Final appearance in 1964, and its first #1 ranking in the AP poll during the '65-'66 season. Cited often as a huge influence on modern recruiting, including specifically by Dean Smith, Bubas was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.
7) Rasual Butler, born 1979
His death was a tragic one, as Butler crashed his Range Rover at high speeds, killing both him, at age 38, and his wife, Leah LaBelle, aged 31, a singer and former American Idol finalist. Heavy doses of alcohol, marijuana, and pain killers were found in his system in the autopsy. It was a long road for Butler from humble upbringings on the streets of Philly to his catastrophic Hollywood end. Raised by his grandfather after his father was murdered, Butler came of age in one of Philadelphia's toughest neighborhoods, honing his skills on playground courts, usually against much older kids. After a star career at La Salle he was a second round pick of Miami in 2002, and spent 13 seasons in the NBA as a do-it-all swingman for the Heat, Hornets, Clippers, Bulls, Raptors, Pacers, Wizards, and Spurs. During his career he became close friends with Lamar Odom, which opened him up into the Hollywood lifestyle, and led to his marriage to a pop star. It's unclear why Butler was drinking and driving recklessly that night, but the explanation would render it no less tragic of an end for such a meteoric rise.
8) Jo Jo White, born 1946
One of just five Celtics players to win Finals MVP (keep in the mind the award didn't exist in Bill Russell's era), White took home the trophy in 1976. He was a workhorse in that series, logging 46.5 minutes per game (including all 60 in the legendary double-overtime game five), averaging 21.7 points, 5.8 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per gam. His nine-plus seasons in Boston also included a title in 1974 as the starting point guard, seven All-Star appearances, and two 2nd-Team All-NBA designations. Drafted ninth overall by the Celtics in 1969, White was an All-American at Kansas and had a star turn on the 1968 U.S. Olympic team that won gold in Mexico City. Both Kansas and the Celtics retired his jersey, and in 2015 he was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame.
9) Jack McKinney, born 1935
In what was probably the most fateful bike ride in NBA history, McKinney was head coach of the Lakers in '79-'80 when he fell off his bike and suffered a severe head injury. A former star player and later coach at St. Joseph's, he won an NBA title as an assistant for the Blazers in 1977, under his former college coach, Dr. Jack Ramsay. Auditioning for the Lakers head coaching job in 1979, McKinney's up-tempo plans for the offense caught the eye of new owner Jerry Buss. He made the controversial decision to start 6'9" rookie Magic Johnson at point guard over Norm Nixon instead of at forward, and implored his players to push the velocity on offense as much as possible. Thus, "Showtime" was born, and the Lakers utilized it extensively for the rest of the decade, which included five championships. Unfortunately for McKinney, he was forced to cede control of the team to his assistant, Paul Westhead, while he recovered from the brain damage caused by his bike accident. He was eventually fired unceremoniously by Buss, right in the middle of the 1980 NBA Finals. Though Westhead led the Lakers to a title in that '79-'80 season, he would soon be fired as well to make way for Pat Riley. McKinney made a full recovery and took over the Pacers for the '80-'81 season. He was named Coach of the Year in his first season in Indiana for guided them to their first playoff appearance since merging from the ABA, but couldn't sustain that success and was let go after three subsequent losing seasons.
10) Len Chappell, born 1941
11) Lonnie Shelton, born 1955In what was probably the most fateful bike ride in NBA history, McKinney was head coach of the Lakers in '79-'80 when he fell off his bike and suffered a severe head injury. A former star player and later coach at St. Joseph's, he won an NBA title as an assistant for the Blazers in 1977, under his former college coach, Dr. Jack Ramsay. Auditioning for the Lakers head coaching job in 1979, McKinney's up-tempo plans for the offense caught the eye of new owner Jerry Buss. He made the controversial decision to start 6'9" rookie Magic Johnson at point guard over Norm Nixon instead of at forward, and implored his players to push the velocity on offense as much as possible. Thus, "Showtime" was born, and the Lakers utilized it extensively for the rest of the decade, which included five championships. Unfortunately for McKinney, he was forced to cede control of the team to his assistant, Paul Westhead, while he recovered from the brain damage caused by his bike accident. He was eventually fired unceremoniously by Buss, right in the middle of the 1980 NBA Finals. Though Westhead led the Lakers to a title in that '79-'80 season, he would soon be fired as well to make way for Pat Riley. McKinney made a full recovery and took over the Pacers for the '80-'81 season. He was named Coach of the Year in his first season in Indiana for guided them to their first playoff appearance since merging from the ABA, but couldn't sustain that success and was let go after three subsequent losing seasons.
10) Len Chappell, born 1941
Though the program is best known for producing future Hall of Famers Tim Duncan and Chris Paul, it was Chappell that led Wake Forest to its only Final Four appearance in school history. It came in '61-'62 when he was an All-American, ACC Player of the Year for the second straight season, and averaged 30.1 points per game to lead the Deamon Deacons to the conference title. He then dominated in the NCAA Tournament, tallying 25 points and 18 rebounds in a first round win over Yale, 34 points and 18 rebounds in a Regional Semifinals revenge game against St. Joseph's (who had defeated them in the Regional Finals the year prior), then 22 points and 21 rebounds in the Regional Finals victory over Villanova. The Deamon Deacons (whose second best player was future CBS broadcaster Billy Packer) then ran into a buzzsaw in John Havlicek and Ohio State in the National Semifinals, but did get a third-place game win over UCLA (who was making their Final Four debut under John Wooden). Chappell was named to the All-Tournament team for his effort and drafted fourth overall by the Nationals in 1962. His NBA career was less stellar, though it did include an All-Star appearance in '63-'64 for the Knicks, when he averaged 17.1 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. He was the first Wake Forest player to be drafted in the first round and the first to make an NBA All-Star team.
His pro career technically started with the Memphis Sounds of the ABA, but Shelton balked at his contract with the team, claiming he been induced to sign it under the influence of alcohol by Sounds star Marvin "Bad News" Barnes. Shelton returned for his senior season at Oregon State instead and was drafted one year later by the Knicks. He found an instant niche as a paint enforcer, and led the NBA in personal fouls twice early in his career. A fortuitous trade on the eve of the '78-'79 season landed Shelton in Seattle, where he slotted in as the starting power forward and contributed tough defense and rebounding as the Sonics won the 1979 title. Eventually named an All-Star and 2nd-Team All-Defensive in '81-'82, Shelton lasted 10 years in the NBA before retiring in 1986. He had three sons that followed in his footsteps, playing basketball in college, but his oldest, L.J., found his calling in football and spent 10 years in the NFL as an offensive tackle.
12) Tex Winter, born 1922
It was originally called the "triple-post" offense and Winter literally wrote the book on it in 1962, when he was coaching at Kansas State. It was later re-christened as the triangle offense and it's no hyperbole to say that it was the most important basketball strategy innovation of the last half of the 20th century. After 15 seasons coaching the Wildcats that included Final Four appearances in 1958 and 1964, Winter eventually found himself as an assistant coach on the Bulls, starting in 1985. His triangle offense, which was predicated on spacing and precise passing, proved adaptable not just for Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, but later for Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant when Winter followed Phil Jackson to the Lakers. He won nine championship rings as an assistant coach before finally retiring in 2008 (he earned one more as a "consultant" for the '08-'09 Lakers). After suffering a stroke in 2009, Winter rarely made public appearances, and his son, Chris, gave an acceptance speech on his behalf during his 2011 Naismith Hall of Fame induction.
13) Frank Ramsey, born 1931
The heroics of Bill Russell obviously come to mind first when reminiscing on the Celtics' 11 titles between 1957 and 1969, likely followed by John Havlicek, Sam Jones, and Bob Cousy. But it was Ramsey, the team's sometime starting small forward and sometime sixth man extraordinaire, that provided the play that got the dynasty started. Game seven of the 1957 NBA Finals against the Hawks went to double overtime, where Ramsey hit the series-winning jumper at the buzzer to give Boston its first title. He came off the bench in that game as he did in many games, as coach Red Auerbach molded him into the prototypical sixth man, able to play several positions and provide instant scoring and defense off the bench. Ramsey actually got his start with the Celtics in 1954 in the starting lineup alongside Cousy and Bill Sharman, but took a year off for military service and lost his position to Jim Loscutoff, necessitating his revolutionary bench role. Seven NBA titles followed before Ramsey retired in 1964, and in 1981 he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, based in large part on his stellar amateur career at Kentucky.
14) Bob Bass, born 1929
Initially hired to coach the team, Bass eventually became synonymous with the Spurs franchise as a general manager, holding that role for 20 seasons. The Spurs never reached the ABA or NBA Finals in his tenure there, but he did lay the framework for the 1999 title by drafting David Robinson and Sean Elliott and signing Avery Johnson. Bass occasionally stepped back into the coaching role as well, taking over for interim stints in 1980, 1984, and 1992, after firing Doug Moe, Morris McHone, and Larry Brown, respectively. He left the Spurs in 1995 to take over as GM of the Hornets, during which time he won a second Executive of the Year award, but also made the fateful decision to trade away Kobe Bryant on draft day in 1996.
15) Willie Naulls, born 1934
Born in Dallas in 1934, Naulls moved to California as a child with his family to escape segregation. He became a basketball star at San Pedro High School, then one of the first great players to matriculate under John Wooden at UCLA. When Naulls was then drafted by the Hawks in 1956, he wasn't prepared for the still ongoing segregation and racial disparity in St. Louis, and was relieved to be traded to the Knicks during his rookie season. While playing in New York, he was named to four All-Star teams, and in 1960 became the first black athlete in any major American professional sport to be named a team captain. He would eventually add another racial accolade to his resume in 1964, while playing for the Celtics, when he joined Bill Russell, K.C. Jones, Sam Jones, and Satch Sanders as the first ever all-black starting lineup. Naulls won three titles with the Celtics, capping off a successful career that ended in 1966.
16) Dick Tinkham, born 1932
He was a co-captain on the basketball team at DePauw in the '50s, but his playing days are only a small part of what make Tinkham a giant of Indiana basketball history. He was working at a law firm in his native Indianapolis in the late '60s when he and a partner co-founded the Indiana Pacers as an original ABA franchise. Tinkham was instrumental in the rebel league's success, not just as the owner of the best franchise, a Pacers team that reached five ABA Finals in nine years, winning three of them, but also in cutting deals and making decision that helped keep the ABA afloat through difficult times. He championed pro basketball in Indiana and was instrumental in getting the Market Square Arena built in the early '70s, allowing the Pacers to move out of their cramped former home at the Indiana state fairgrounds.