Roger Brown

Nickname: "The Rajah"
Ht. 6-5 Wt. 205
College - Dayton
ABA Teams: Indiana (1967-68 to 1974-75), Memphis (1974-75), Utah (1974-75)

1st Player signed by Indiana Pacers. New York City playground legend; 3-Time ABA All-Pro Selection; 4-Time ABA All-Star Team Member; ABA All-Time Record Holder of 21 Field Goals in a row; 2nd Player to score 10,000 career points in the ABA; 1970 ABA Playoffs MVP; Pacers' All-Time ABA Point Leader with 12,118; Pacers' All-Time ABA Minutes Played Leader with 24,364; Played on all three Indiana Pacers ABA Championship Teams; 1st Career ABA Player to be nominated to the Basketball Hall of Fame (in 1996); Unanimous selection to ABA 30 Man All-Time Team. Passed away in 1996 due to liver cancer.

From Jim O'Brien's 1972-73 Complete Handbook of Pro Basketball:
One of the great one-on-one players in pro ball . . . Very intelligent player with great offensive moves, an excellent shooter and three-point threat . . . Can work his way inside as well as anybody . . . Paces himself as he often plays full 48 minutes . . . Once hit record 53 points in playoff game vs. L.A. Stars . . . Averaged 28.5 ppg in that series in which Pacers won first ABA title (with 53, 39 and 45 in last three games of series) . . . Holds ABA record of hitting 14 straight field goals in one game and 21 in row over three games . . . Elected to at-large seat on Indianapolis City Council in November 1971 . . . He's a deputy coroner, part owner of a grocery store, stock owner in Pacers, and owner of six race horses with Mel Daniels . . . Still has lawsuit filed against NBA for barring him . . . "He can turn it on and turn it off whenever he wants to," remarked Frank Ramsey of the Kentucky Colonels. "He hit 15 out of 19 shots against us and never broke out of a trot." . . . . When he turns it on he's one of the most gifted and most complete players in league . . . "He should be illegal," says one ABA player who got isolated against him on one side of court, a maneuver Pacers pull off when forced to set up on offense . . . "One on one, he's a plague," says one ABA coach.
GP Min FGM FGA FG% 3PM 3PA 3P% FTM FTA FT% TReb AST PF Pnts RPG APG
PPG
Career ABA Totals 605 21454 3860 8227 .469 312 971 .321 2466 3116 .791 3768 2315 1621 10498 6.3 3.9 17.4
ABA Playoff Totals 110 4030 765 1590 .481 68 190 .358 462 583 .792 705 405 333 2060 6.4 3.7 18.7
ABA All-Star Totals 4 108 15 43 .349 0 5 .000 13 17 .765 19 12 14 43 4.8 3.0 10.8

MEMORIES OF GARY HARDY: "As a boy growing up with the ABA Pacers, I had the pleasure of regularly watching Roger Brown in action. When he passed away recently, I was reminded of his greatness, especially in one-on-one situations with the game on the line. Before the Pacers figured out how to incorporate the three-point basket into their regular offense, he was their three-point play: Just clear the lane for the "Rajah" to go one-on-one, make the lay-up, and draw the foul. The ABA Pacers showed themselves to be a real fraternity in the weeks leading up to Brown's recent death. They visited him, donated their own money, and helped with fundraisers. Somehow, I can't imagine today's NBA multi-millionaires ever showing the kind of class and concern that Roger Brown's mates did."

MEMORIES OF MIKE CALDWELL: "The best game I've ever seen -- without a doubt -- was between the Pacers and the Rick Barry-led Nets. In regulation, the Pacers were down by 3 with 2 seconds left when Freddie Lewis banked a 3 to send the game into overtime. In the overtime, the Pacers were down 1 with 10 seconds to go, and New York had the ball out of bounds. Roger Brown jumped in front of Barry and drew a charge. Then, the Pacers cleared out the floor for Brown, with Barry playing defense. With just 2 ticks on the clock "Rajah" drove to the basket and put up a soft finger roll. The ball rolled in and bedlam ensued. Barry scored 52 and Mr. Clutch, Roger Brown, had answered the bell once again."

Roger Brown's 1968 ABA All-Star Ring.
Photos courtesy of Roger W. Brown, Jr.

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