Roger Brown

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Lore & Background

Roger Brown's path to Pacers stardom was a gut-punch of injustice turned into triumph. After being banned from the NCAA and NBA 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. He found his way back to Dayton in the summer that he was banned, where Azariah and Arlena Smith let him stay with them and helped him find a job at the assembly line at the General Motors plant near their house along with AAU play. In 1967, he signed with the ABA's Indiana Pacers as the first player the organization signed, after general manager Mike Storen was told by Oscar Robertson that Brown, alongside Connie Hawkins, were the "two best players in America not in the NBA." Brown had initial doubts about leaving his GM job for the new league but was later convinced and signed for $17,000. Over his eight-year ABA career, he scored 10,498 points and appeared in four All-Star games. He particularly enjoyed taking the big shot, noting in Loose Balls that the "ABA 3-point play was made for me." He stated he played with terrible eyesight, as he could not actually see the rim when taking a jump shot, merely just seeing orange on the backboard. On March 11, 1969, Brown set a Pacers franchise record with 46 points scored in a single game, during a win over the New York Nets. In the 1970 ABA Playoffs, he was named Playoffs MVP after averaging a postseason career best 28.5 points a game before the Pacers won the ABA Finals over the Los Angeles Stars. He scored 53 points in Game 4, a franchise record for a playoff game. In Game 6, Brown scored 45 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a decisive victory. He was the first player (NBA or ABA) to average 28 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in the playoffs and win a championship, a mark not matched for decades. Brown once had a perfect streak in the span of three games that saw him make 21 consecutive field goals. The NBA later reinstated Brown, but he chose to never play in the league. Aching knees and a back injury led to a decrease in production by 1974. He retired after the 1975 season.

In Their Own Story

The Market Square Arena crowd is a wall of sound, a sea of blue and gold. Game 7 of the ABA Finals. The ball swings to Roger Brown at the top of the key. He's guarded tightly, but his eyes are calm, almost bored, scanning the floor like he's already seen this play a thousand times. He fakes left, then drives right, pulling up for a mid-range jumper. The ball arcs high, hangs in the air for a heartbeat, then rips through the net with a sound that cuts through the roar. The arena erupts. Brown doesn't celebrate; he just backpedals on defense, a quiet fire in his eyes, as if to say, 'Of course.' This was his moment, his court, his legacy—and he never doubted it for a second.

Reader's Guide

Roger Brown's era with the Pacers spanned the ABA's golden age from 1967 to 1975. He was a versatile forward/guard who combined a deadly outside shot with a knack for finishing through contact at the rim. His playing style was smooth and efficient—often described as 'poetry in motion'—but that poetry was written in blood and sweat. He wasn't flashy, but he was brutally effective, especially in the clutch, where he seemed to slow time down. He was the ABA Playoffs MVP in 1970, a testament to his postseason brilliance. Brown's legacy is that of a franchise icon who set the standard for Pacers basketball: tough, resilient, and championship-driven. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013, finally receiving the recognition he deserved after being unjustly excluded from the NBA—a long-overdue victory for a man who never stopped winning.

Did You Know?

• Brown was the first player the Indiana Pacers organization signed when they were formed in 1967.
• He once made 21 consecutive field goals over the span of three games.
• Brown scored 53 points in Game 4 of the 1970 ABA Playoffs, a franchise record for a playoff game.
• He was the first player (NBA or ABA) to average 28 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in the playoffs and win a championship.
• Brown served on the Indianapolis City-County Council from 1972 to 1976 while still an active player.