Dan Issel
(Born 1948)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1993
Card Shown:
2012 Panini GS
Marks of the Hall
Position: C/PF
Height: 6’9″
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Dan Issel, “The Horse,” was a hard-working player who was undersized for an NBA center. His hustle and outside shooting skills allowed him to compete with centers like Moses Malone and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Issel was a star at the University of Kentucky and he led the Kentucky Colonels to an ABA championship. He played fifteen years in the ABA and NBA for the Colonels and the Denver Nuggets.
Awards and Honors
- Dan played college basketball at Kentucky under famed coach Adolph Rupp. He is the all-time leading scorer in Wildcat history with 2,138 points. He led Kentucky to three Southeastern Conference titles and one trip to the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament.
- In 1974-75, Issel helped lead the Kentucky Colonels to the ABA championship, defeating the Indiana Pacers 4-1. Joining Issel on the Colonels were Artis Gilmore and Louie Dampier. The Pacers featured George McGinnis and included Roger Brown, who was playing his final season.
- Dan was a seven-time All-Star in his first seven seasons of professional basketball. He was honored five times with the Kentucky Colonels and once with the Denver Nuggets in the ABA and once with the Denver Nuggets in the NBA.
- Issel shared 1970-71 ABA Rookie of the Year honors with Charlie Scott of the Virginia Squires. In his rookie campaign, Dan led the ABA in scoring with an average of 29.9 points per game. That year the Colonels lost the ABA Finals in seven games to Zelmo Beaty and the Utah Stars.
- Dan was a scorer. At his retirement in 1985 he ranked fifth in combined career points (ABA/NBA). Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving, and Moses Malone had scored more points than Issel.
Points of Interest
- Dan’s first love was baseball. He grew up rooting for the Chicago Cubs and his favorite player was Ernie Banks.
- Issel was a durable player who only missed 24 games in the 15 seasons that he played in the ABA and NBA.
- Often shooting from the outside, Dan put together a string of eight seasons shooting over 50% from the field and ended his career connecting on 49.9% of his shots.
- Issel, who played at the University of Kentucky and with the Kentucky Colonels, has spearheaded efforts to bring an NBA team to Louisville, Kentucky.
- Dan finished his basketball career with averages of 22.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists.
Statistics
Dan Issel Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com