Dan Issel was like clockwork … he showed up every night and
put up 20.
He averaged more than 20 points per game in 11 out of 15
seasons in both the ABA and NBA. He wasn’t a gunner. He shot over 50 percent in
nine seasons. He was one of the earliest believers in nutrition, which allowed
him to average 19.8 points per game at the age of 35.
His best season was his rookie year when he led the ABA in
scoring and had his career high in rebounding as a center for the Kentucky
Colonels. The next season, Kentucky added Artis Gilmore and Issel moved over to
power forward. The two dominated the ABA over the next four years, winning the
title in 1974-1975.
Ironically, the owners of the Colonels decided they needed
to sell one of their stars. They chose to keep Gilmore because they thought
Issel wouln’t age well so they moved Issel to Denver.
Issel is rarely mentioned on lists of the top power forwards
of all time, but he had PERs above 20.0 in 12 out of 15 seasons and topped 10.0
win shares in nine of 15 years. His career win shares of 157.2 ranks 23rd
all-time, ahead of Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Bob Pettit and John Havlicek.
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Dan Issel
bio info
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Career
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1970-1985
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Games
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1,218
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Points
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22.6
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Rebounds
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9.1
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Assists
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2.4
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FG Pct.
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49.9%
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All-Star games
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7
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NBA MVPs
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0
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ABA Titles
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1
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Playoff seasons
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13
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Playoff games
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133
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Points
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22.1
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Rebounds
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9.4
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Assists
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2.1
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FG Pct.
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48.7%
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Hall of Fame
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1993
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Top 100
rankings
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||
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Points
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Top 100 ranking
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1-year
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313.20
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65th
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5-year
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1,345.78
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76th
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10-year
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2,523.37
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46th
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Career
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3,396.85
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37th
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Dan Issel
at his peak
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|||
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1970-1971
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Issel
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Top 5
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Points
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PER
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25.0
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25.06
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Win Shares
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10.7
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15.87
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Box +/-
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NA
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NA
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VORP
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NA
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NA
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Total Advanced Stats
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35.7
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40.92
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87.23
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Playoff PER
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25.7
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25.46
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Win Shares
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3.3
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2.95
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Box +/-
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NA
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NA
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VORP
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NA
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NA
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Total Advanced Stats
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29
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28.41
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102.07
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Reg. Season Win %
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51.81
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51.81
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Playoff Win %
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57.89
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57.89
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MVP Voting (75 points)
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45/110
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30.68
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Playoff MVP (25 points)
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0
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0
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Total Score (95%)
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313.20
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Issel’s 10 greatest seasons
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1970-1971
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313.20
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1972-1973
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297.19
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1977-1978
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253.03
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1974-1975
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242.29
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1976-1977
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240.07
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1975-1976
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239.64
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1982-1983
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238.57
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1971-1972
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236.83
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1978-1979
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233.56
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1981-1982
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228.99
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Career
winning percentage
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|||
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W
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L
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Pct.
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Regular Season
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727
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491
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59.69%
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Playoffs
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69
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64
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51.88%
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