Hall of Fame forward Mel Daniels passed away at the age of 71 on Friday, the Indiana Pacers announced.
The 6-foot-9 Daniels was a dominant interior presence who spent most of his career with the Pacers of the ABA. Daniels was an instant hit, winning ABA Rookie of the Year in 1968, before being named MVP in his second and fourth seasons. Daniels went on to win three ABA titles in 1970, 1972, and 1973 in his six years in Indiana.
Daniels was the ABA's all-time leader in rebounds, and was named to seven All-Star games. His playing career ended shortly after the ABA-NBA merger, but he did manage to play one season in the unified league with the New York Knicks in 1976-77.
Despite not playing in the NBA, Daniels was thoroughly familiar with his counterparts thanks to his participation in two "supergame" All-Star contests in 1971 and 1972. As NBA.com's Steve Aschburner recounts, it was clear that Daniels belonged against the NBA's finest.
"I played against Wilt, I played against Bob Lanier, I played against (Kareem) Abdul-Jabbar. And we held our own," Daniels told Aschburner in 2012. "To me, basketball was basketball and they had to prove themselves to us, too."
After his retirement in 1977, Daniels became a coach under Bob King at Indiana State, where he coached Larry Bird. He eventually worked his way into the Pacers organization and held the role of Director of Player Personnel until his release in 2009.
Daniels was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012 along with Connie Hawkins, Dan Issel, David Thompson, and Artis Gilmore. His No. 34 is one of only four numbers retired by the Pacers.