Roger Brown (basketball, born 1942)
Roger William Brown was an American professional basketball player. Brown was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on September 8, 2013.Career
A 6'5" forward/guard, Brown starred at Brooklyn's George W. Wingate High School and signed to play for the University of Dayton in 1960, but he was banned from the National Collegiate Athletic Association and National Basketball Association when it was revealed that while still in High School and along with fellow Brooklyn star Connie Hawkins, he had been introduced to a gambler, Jack Molinas, who was involved in illegal point shaving. Brown was never accused of point shaving and his only crime was associating with Molinas.
With the NCAA and NBA ban in place, he continued to play basketball in Dayton's amateur leagues, and in 1967 signed with the American Basketball Association 's Indiana Pacers. He was the first player the Pacers organization signed when they were formed. During his eight-year ABA career, spent with the Pacers, Memphis Sounds, and Utah Stars, Brown scored 10,498 points, appeared in four All-Star games, and earned three Championship rings. The NBA later reinstated Brown but he never played in the league. Later Pacers player Reggie Miller considers Brown the greatest player to never play in the NBA.
Brown was one of seven players unanimously selected to the ABA All-Time Team in 1997. He is one of four players to have his jersey retired by the Pacers.
On February 15, 2013, Brown was announced as one of five direct inductees to join the Naismith Hall of Fame, having been elected by the Hall's ABA Committee. He was inducted in September 2013.After basketball, Brown served as a Republican on the Indianapolis City Council for four years. He was diagnosed with colon cancer in 1996 and died the following year.
