Category: Basketball, Hall of Famers
Highlights: One of the most prolific scorers in the annals of pro basketball, Hall of Famer Dan Issel starred in the ABA and NBA for the Kentucky Colonels and Denver Nuggets. He played collegiately at the U. of Kentucky.
Travels From: Colorado
Fee Range: $2,501 - $5,000
Dan Issel starred at both the collegiate and professional basketball ranks. He played collegiately at the University of Kentucky under legendary head coach Adolph Rupp from 1967-1970. He started three seasons for the Wildcats, setting 23 school records and leading the team to three SEC championships. He was a two-time All-American averaging 25.7 points per contest and still today is the school’s all-time leading scorer. After college, Issel was drafted in 1970 in the 8th round by the NBA’s Detroit Pistons and 1st round by the ABA’s Kentucky Colonels, with whom he decided to sign. In his rookie season, he led the ABA with an average of 29.9 points per game before being named co-Rookie of the Year along with Charlie Scott. Along with future Hall of Fame Artis Gilmore and Louis Dampier, Issel helped the Colonels to an ABA title in 1975.
Before the start of the 1975-1976 ABA season, Issel was traded to the Baltimore Claws, who ceased operations before the start of the season, and then the Denver Nuggets, where he spent 10 seasons until 1985. The ABA and NBA merged in 1976 and Issel became a force in the NBA with a per game average of 20.4 points and ended his career ranked second all-time in Nuggets franchise history in total points. Between his ABA and NBA careers, Issel amassed more than 27,000 points, which trailed at the time of his retirement only Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. In total, Issel was named an ABA All-Star six times and NBA All-Star once. He was named a member of the ABA All-Time Team and the Nuggets retired his jersey #44 in 1985. Issel was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993 and College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. He’s also a member of the U. of Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame and Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
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