No. 81 - Roger Brown

Roger Brown is one of two players in my Top 100 who would have been completely forgotten if not for the ABA.

Brown was a star forward out of Brooklyn who signed to play for the University of Dayton in 1960 only to be banned by the NCAA and NBA because he had been introduced to gambler Jack Molinas, who was running a point shaving ring. Brown was never accused of actually shaving points. His crime was that he simply met Molinas.

Brown – who I’m guessing many of you never heard of until reading this post - was relegated to playing in amateur leagues around Dayton until 1967 when he was the first player signed by the Indiana Pacers when the team and league was formed. Oscar Robertson had played some pickup games against Brown in the offseason and recommended him to Pacers General Manager Mike Storen. Thanks to the first bit of luck he’d had in six years, Brown became the cornerstone for the ABA’s best franchise. In Brown’s eight seasons, Indiana won three ABA titles. A 6-5 wing with an outstanding shot, Brown was the No. 1 option for the first two and a key reserve for the third.

Brown was an all-star four of his first five seasons in the ABA, but he was even better in the playoffs. His playoff PER was higher than his regular season PER in six out of eight seasons. His greatest season was 1969-1970, when he 27 years old. He averaged 23 points along with 7.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists while playing every game in the regular season. In 15 playoff games, he upped that to 28.5 points per game, 10.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists as the Pacers blitzed through the ABA with a 12-3 record to win the first of Indiana’s titles. That included a 53 point, 13 rebound, six assist explosion in game four of the ABA Finals against the Los Angeles Stars. He was rightfully named Playoff MVP.

By 1972-1973, Mel Daniels was in his prime, George McGinnis was nearing his and Brown was 30 and having knee problems. He began playing fewer minutes and retired at age 32. The NBA reinstated Brown in 1973, but by then Brown was committed to the Pacers and Indianapolis. Brown was beloved by Pacers fans and eventually served on the Indianapolis City Council. He was voted to the ABA All-Time Team in 1997 and inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013. Brown didn’t live to see either. He was diagnosed with liver cancer in 1996 and died in 1997.

Had Brown not lost all those years, he undoubtedly would have ranked higher. Even without those, his monster 1968-1969 playoff run and a solid five-year run of top-line play – even with a 5 percent discount on ABA statistics - placed him higher than many more recognizable names.

Roger Brown bio info
Career	1967-1968
Games	605
Points	17.4
Rebounds	6.2
Assists	3.8
FG Pct.	46.9%
All-Star Games	4
MVPs	0
ABA Titles	3
Playoff seasons	8
Playoff games	110
Points	18.7
Rebounds	6.4
Assists	3.7
FG Pct.	48.9%
Hall of Fame	2013

 

Top 100 rankings
	Points	Top 100 ranking
1-year	360.35	35th
5-year	1,362.98	69th
10-year	1,894.25	Not in top 100
Career	1,894.25	Not in top 100

 

Roger Brown at his peak
1969-1970	Brown	Top 5	Points
PER	20.6	24.55
Win Shares	13.3	15.13
Box +/-	NA	NA
VORP	NA	NA
Total Advanced Stats	33.9	39.68	85.44
Playoff PER	22.1	26.03
Win Shares	3.5	2.85
Box +/-	NA	NA
VORP	NA	NA
Total Advanced Stats	25.6	28.88	88.64
Reg. Season Win %	70.24		70.24
Playoff Win %	80.00		80.00
MVP Voting (75 points)	40/100		30.00
Playoff MVP (25 points)	25		25
Total Score (95%)			360.35

 

Brown’s 10 greatest seasons
1969-1970	360.35
1968-1969	283.46
1970-1971	261.02
1971-1972	239.69
1972-1973	218.48
1973-1974	198.21
1967-1968	176.40
1974-1975	156.66

 

Career winning percentage
	W	L	Pct.
Regular Season	353	251	58.44%
Playoffs	66	44	60.00%