Professional Basketball Player. He was a star player at Brooklyn, New York City, New York Wingate High School, where Connie Hawkins of Brooklyn's Boys' High was his principal rival. Unfortunately, he became involved with Jack Molinas, a man whose legacy included arranging fixes in basketball games. As a result, he was not permitted to play at the University of Dayton, was banned from the NBA, and became a superstar in Dayton's amateur leagues. At age 25 he became the first player signed by the Indiana Pacers of the ABA in 1967. He led the Pacers to three ABA championships, averaging 17.4 points and 6.5 rebounds during an eight-year career. He is the Pacers' third leading scorer with 10,058 career points. His No. 35 is one of three numbers retired by the Pacers (Mel Daniels and George McGinnis are the other two). Because Brown had no available insurance benefits at the time he was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer, the Pacers Basketball Corp. Foundation, Inc. established the Roger Brown Legacy Fund, raising money from former and current players, fans, and Indianapolis area businesses to help defray his medical and funeral expenses. Per Roger's wishes, future funding will be made available in the event such circumstances should afflict other Pacers' players or staff. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on September 8, 2013.
Professional Basketball Player. He was a star player at Brooklyn, New York City, New York Wingate High School, where Connie Hawkins of Brooklyn's Boys' High was his principal rival. Unfortunately, he became involved with Jack Molinas, a man whose legacy included arranging fixes in basketball games. As a result, he was not permitted to play at the University of Dayton, was banned from the NBA, and became a superstar in Dayton's amateur leagues. At age 25 he became the first player signed by the Indiana Pacers of the ABA in 1967. He led the Pacers to three ABA championships, averaging 17.4 points and 6.5 rebounds during an eight-year career. He is the Pacers' third leading scorer with 10,058 career points. His No. 35 is one of three numbers retired by the Pacers (Mel Daniels and George McGinnis are the other two). Because Brown had no available insurance benefits at the time he was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer, the Pacers Basketball Corp. Foundation, Inc. established the Roger Brown Legacy Fund, raising money from former and current players, fans, and Indianapolis area businesses to help defray his medical and funeral expenses. Per Roger's wishes, future funding will be made available in the event such circumstances should afflict other Pacers' players or staff. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on September 8, 2013.
Bio by: Warrick L. Barrett
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