Daniel Paul Issel (born October 25, 1948) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. An outstanding collegian at the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...

, Issel was twice named an All-American en route to a school-record 25.7 points per game for his career. The

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, leading to four A ...

Rookie of the Year in 1971, he was a six-time ABA All-Star and a one-time

NBA All-Star The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Originally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of ...

. A prolific scorer, Issel remains the all-time leading scorer at the University of Kentucky, the second-leading scorer of all time for the NBA's Denver Nuggets, and the second-leading scorer of all time for the

itself. Upon Issel's retirement from the NBA in 1985,

Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman Chamberlain (; August 21, 1936 – October 12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player who played as a center. Standing at tall, he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 years and is widely reg ...

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem (alternatively spelled Karim or Kerim) ( ar, کریم) is a common given name and surname of Arabic origin that means "generous", "noble", "honorable". It is also one of the Names of God in Islam in the Quran. Given name Karim * Karim A ...

, and Julius Erving were the only professional basketball players to have scored more career points. Issel was inducted into the

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...

in 1993.

Early life

Issel was born in

Batavia, Illinois Batavia () is a city mainly in Kane County and partly in DuPage County in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located in the Chicago metropolitan area, it was founded in 1833 and is the oldest city in Kane County. Per the 2020 census, the populati ...

, son of Robert and Elanor Issel, and grew up with sister Kathi and brother Greg. Robert Issel owned and operated Issel Painting & Decorating. Issel attended Batavia High School, graduating in 1966 as an All-American playing for Coach Don Vandersnick. Issel led Batavia to Regional titles his last two years. As a senior, Issel averaged 25.8 points on Batavia's 26–3 team. Growing up in Batavia, Issel's backyard was adjacent to his friend Ken Anderson’s back yard. Anderson became a

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

quarterback with the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The club's home ...

and the 1981 NFL Most Valuable Player. Another Batavia High School teammate was future sports announcer

Craig Sager Craig Graham Sager (June 29, 1951 – December 15, 2016) was an American sports reporter who covered an array of sports for CNN and its sister stations TBS and TNT, from 1981 until the year he died. Sager worked as a sideline reporter pacing ...

, who was a freshman at Batavia when Issel was a senior. Said Issel of his Batavia teammates: “What Batavia instilled in all three of us — myself, Kenny, and Craig — was a solid work ethic." According to ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence tw ...

,'' Don VanDersnick showed Issel how to dunk by training him with a volleyball and had Issel jump up and grab the rim 50 times each day at practice. Issel did not start for Batavia High's basketball team until he was a junior and considered himself fortunate that he had VanDersnick as his coach, saying, "If he'd told us that if we dove off a water tower it would make us better basketball players, there would have been a line waiting to do it."

College basketball career

Issel was recruited by Northwestern, Illinois and Wisconsin, but he chose Kentucky. Issel then played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

at the

under legendary coach

Adolph Rupp Adolph Frederick Rupp (September 2, 1901 – December 10, 1977) was an American college basketball coach. He is ranked seventh in total victories by a men's NCAA Division I college coach, winning 876 games in 41 years of coaching at the Un ...

. As a senior at Kentucky, Issel averaged 33.9 points per game (36.0 in the NCAA Tournament) to help Kentucky reach the Elite Eight. Issel was at UK 1966–1970 and scored 2,138 points (an average of 25.7 per game) and had 1,078 rebounds, while being named an All American for two of the three seasons he was eligible for the award. His career points total remains the highest among UK men's players. According to Sports Illustrated Magazine, in a game early in Issel's Kentucky career, teammates were neglecting to give him the ball. Rupp called a timeout and said, "This guy is going to be Kentucky's all-time leading scorer by the time he's through here. I thought you might like to meet him." On February 7, 1970, Issel scored 53 points in a 120–85 victory over Ole Miss, breaking

Cliff Hagan Clifford Oldham Hagan (born December 9, 1931) is an American former professional basketball player. A 6-4 forward who excelled with the hook shot, Hagan, nicknamed "Li'l Abner", played his entire 10-year NBA career (1956–1966) with the St. ...

's single-game record of 51. Issel's mark held for almost four decades, until

Jodie Meeks Orestes Jodie Meeks II (born August 21, 1987) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Birmingham Squadron of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the University of Kentucky. ...

scored 54 points against

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...

on January 13, 2009. Issel also scored 51 at

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 n ...

on February 21, 1970, currently the third-best mark in school history. Issel's career at Kentucky coincided with that of

Pete Maravich Peter Press Maravich ( ; June 22, 1947 – January 5, 1988), known by his nickname Pistol Pete, was an American professional basketball player. Maravich was born in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, and raised i ...

at SEC rival LSU, who scored an NCAA-record 3,667 points (44.2 per game). Maravich and Issel finished 1-2 in SEC Player of the Year voting in each of their three seasons. A three-year starter for Kentucky, Issel led his team to three Southeastern Conference titles and set 23 school records in his career.

Professional basketball career

Kentucky Colonels (1970-1975)

Upon Issel's graduation in 1970, he was drafted by the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

(8th round) of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...

and the

Kentucky Colonels The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of ...

(1st round) of the

. Issel signed to play basketball for the Colonels and the ABA. In his first season, Issel led the ABA in scoring with an average of 29.9 points per game, and pulled down 13.2 rebounds per game. He played in the 1971 ABA All-Star Game and was selected to the All-ABA Second Team. Issel shared ABA Rookie of the Year honors with Charlie Scott of the

Virginia Squires The Virginia Squires were a basketball team based in Norfolk, Virginia, and playing in several other Virginia cities. They were members of the American Basketball Association from 1970 to 1976. The team originated in 1967 as the Oakland Oaks, ...

. Issel's success did not stop there, en route to the Colonels' 1971 ABA Finals appearance that postseason, Issel averaged 28.1 points and 11.6 rebounds per playoff game. Despite these averages, the Colonels lost to the

Zelmo Beaty Zelmo "Big Z" Beaty ( ; October 25, 1939 – August 27, 2013) was an American basketball player. He played eight seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and four in the rival American Basketball Association (ABA). A three-time ABA A ...

-led

Utah Stars The Utah Stars were an American Basketball Association (ABA) team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Under head coach Bill Sharman the Stars were the first major professional basketball team to use a pre-game shootaround. History prior to moving t ...

in a closely contested seven game series. The following season, Issel played in 83 of 84 games and raised his scoring average to 30.6 points per game. He was named the MVP of his second All-Star Game for scoring 21 points and collaring nine rebounds. Issel made the All-ABA First Team of that season. Helped by dominant 7'2" center

Artis Gilmore Artis Gilmore (born September 21, 1949) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA). Gilmore was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basket ...

, the 1974–75 Kentucky Colonels won the 1975 ABA championship, with key support from Issel and sharp-shooting guard (and fellow ex-Kentucky Wildcat)

Louie Dampier Louis Dampier (born November 20, 1944) is an American retired professional basketball player. A 6-foot-tall guard, Dampier is one of only a handful of men to play all nine seasons in the American Basketball Association (ABA) (1967–1976), all ...

. In Game 4 of the series, Issel led all scorers with 26 points. In six seasons, Issel led the league in total points three times (including a record 2,538 in 1971–72) and was an All-Star each year.

Denver Nuggets (1975-1985)

Prior to the 1975–76 season, the Colonels traded Issel to the

Baltimore Claws The Baltimore Claws were an American basketball team which was supposed to appear in the 1975–76 season in the American Basketball Association. The team collapsed before the season started, playing only three exhibition games, all losses, in its ...

(formerly the Memphis Hustlers) for

Tom Owens Thomas William Owens (born June 28, 1949) is an American retired professional basketball player. Early life A 6'9" center from the Bronx, New York, Owens played for LaSalle Academy and the University of South Carolina. Career Owens played ...

and cash. The Claws folded before the season's start, and Issel was subsequently traded to the Denver Nuggets for

Dave Robisch David George Robisch (born December 22, 1949) is a retired American professional basketball player in the ABA and NBA. Robisch played at the University of Kansas, where he was initiated into the Sigma Nu fraternity. He was positioned at center ...

and cash. During his first season on the Nuggets, Issel and his new team finished with an ABA best 60-24 record and advanced to the ABA Finals, where he averaged 22.8 points and 12.8 rebounds during a contested six game series loss. For his ABA career, Issel was a 6-Time ABA All-Star, 5-Time Member of ABA All-Pro Team, the ABA's 2nd All-Time Scorer (behind

, was the 1972 ABA All-Star Game MVP, 1971 ABA Co-Rookie of the Year, Led ABA in scoring in 70-71 with 29.4 ppg and holds the ABA Record for most points in a season with 2,538 in 71-72. Issel remained with the Nuggets following the

ABA–NBA merger The ABA-NBA merger was a major pro sports business maneuver in 1976 when the American Basketball Association (ABA) combined with the National Basketball Association (NBA), after multiple attempts over several years. The NBA and ABA had entered ...

in June 1976, and represented Denver in the 1977

NBA All-Star Game The National Basketball Association All-Star Game is a basketball exhibition game hosted every February by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and showcases 24 of the league's star players. It is the featured event of NBA All-Star Weekend, ...

. He remained productive, topping 20 points per game five of his remaining eight years. Issel played a key role in helping the Nuggets make the postseason every year of his tenure, alongside (at various points) fellow stars David Thompson, Bobby Jones, Kiki Vandeweghe, and

Alex English Alexander English (born January 5, 1954) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and businessman. A South Carolina native, English played college basketball at the University of South Carolina. He was drafted in the second ...

. On January 31, 1980, Issel scored an NBA career high 47 points, including making 19 of 23 free throw attempts, in a 127-126 win over the

New Jersey Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

. On January 21, 1981, Issel grabbed an NBA career high 21 rebounds, while also scoring 32 points, during a 129-115 win over the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

. During the 1984 NBA Playoffs, Issel averaged his highest postseason per game scoring average since his ABA days with 27.4 points per game during a 2-3 series loss against the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

. Retiring following the 1984–1985 season, after the Nuggets were eliminated in the Western Conference Finals by the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

, he received the NBA's

J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award The J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award was an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given from 1975 to 2020 to a player, coach, or staff member who showed "outstanding service and dedication to the community." The award was named i ...

during his last season for his outstanding service to the community. In nine seasons and 718 NBA games with Denver, Issel averaged 20.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. Wearing number 44, Issel is the Nuggets' second all-time leading scorer. He accumulated over 27,000 points in his combined ABA and NBA career, trailing only

and Julius Erving upon his retirement. Issel currently ranks #11 on the all time combined ABA/NBA scoring list. He missed only 24 games in 15 seasons, earning him the moniker, "the Horse". He was part of the

Class of 1993.

Coaching career

After his playing career ended, Issel retired to his Courtland horse farm in

Woodford County, Kentucky Woodford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,871. Its county seat is Versailles. The area was home to Pisgah Academy. Woodford County is part of the Lexington-Fayette, KY Metro ...

. He spent a year doing color commentary for Kentucky basketball games then became a Nuggets broadcaster from 1988 to 1992. Even with no coaching experience,

Bernie Bickerstaff Bernard Tyrone Bickerstaff (born February 11, 1944) is an American basketball coach and front office executive, currently serving as the Senior Basketball Advisor for the Cleveland Cavaliers. As a coach, he previously worked as the head coach for ...

recruited him as Nuggets head coach in

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engin ...

. In 1994, Issel led his team to the playoffs with their first winning record in four years, after only winning 44 games in the previous two years. That year, the Nuggets pulled off the biggest upset to that date in

(NBA) playoff history, knocking off the

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Confe ...

in five games (the first ever 8th seed to beat a 1st seed in the first round). He resigned 34 games into the 1994–95 season after facing criticism for his coaching style, saying he didn't like the person he'd become. Issel returned to the Nuggets in

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

as president and general manager. He named himself head coach again in December 1999, yielding his general manager's title to Kiki Vandeweghe. His second tenure was far less successful than his first; the Nuggets did not post a winning season during this time. He was hampered in part by a drawn-out effort to find a new owner; two deals to sell the team collapsed at the last minute. Just before the start of the 1999–2000 season, he told reporters that there were several decisions he simply couldn't make due to the unstable ownership situation. In 2000, Issel faced a team mutiny after he criticized them following a winless four-game Eastern road trip. The Nuggets' team captains called a boycott of their next practice, prompting interest from CNN and other news outlets. The team saw some improvement later in the season, but missed the playoffs with a 40–42 record. Issel's Nuggets tenure ended in December 2001. On December 11, after a close loss to the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...

, Issel heard a fan taunting him, as he walked off the court at the Pepsi Center. Issel taunted back, "Go drink another beer, you Mexican piece of shit." The incident was captured on Denver's

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

affiliate,

KUSA-TV KUSA (channel 9) is a television station in Denver, Colorado, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside MyNetworkTV affiliate KTVD (channel 20). Both stations share studios on East Speer Boulevard in Denver's S ...

. The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce responded by stating that its members would boycott the team unless Issel was fired. Issel was suspended without pay for four games by the team. He publicly apologized the next day, and on Friday met with Hispanic chamber representatives, who accepted his apology. However, several members of Denver's Hispanic community thought the suspension was insufficient punishment and called for him to be fired. Hours before he was due to return, Issel took a leave of absence to decide whether he wanted to return. He accepted a buyout of his contract and resigned on December 26.

Personal life

Issel's wife Cheri, whom he met at the University of Kentucky, is an accomplished artist. Cheri was a cheerleader at Kentucky. The Issels have two children, Sheridan and Scott. Greg Issel, Dan's younger brother, was a star forward on Batavia teams in 1968 and 1969, following Dan. Greg Issel died suddenly of heart failure in 1998 at the age of 46. In 2011, Issel served as executive director at the Bel Air Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles. As of 2014, he lived in

Windsor, Colorado Windsor is a home rule municipality in Larimer and Weld counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. According to the 2020 census, the population of the town was 32,716. Windsor is located in the Northern Colorado region. History In 1873, a settl ...

, and was employed in the oil and gas business. In 2017, Issel served as speaker at Batavia High School's gymnasium to honor a family friend, fellow Batavia classmate and national sportscaster

, after Sager's death. Sager and Issel were basketball teammates at Batavia High School when Sager was a freshman and Issel a senior. In February 2018, Issel became president of the Louisville Basketball Investment and Support Group, a Kentucky-based company founded in 2016 to pursue an NBA franchise.

Honors

* Issel was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1973. * In 1985, Issel received the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award. * In 1985, Issel's jersey #44 was retired by the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

. * Issel was inducted into the

Colorado Sports Hall of Fame The Colorado Sports Hall of Fame (CSHoF) is a hall of fame and museum that honors — by public acknowledgment or commemoration — individuals who merit recognition and distinction for their exploits, accomplishments, and leadership in spo ...

in 1987. * In 1993, Issel was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. * Issel was inducted into the University of Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005. * In 2006, Issel was inducted into the

College Basketball Hall of Fame The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Kansas City, Missouri, is a hall of fame and museum dedicated to men's college basketball. The museum is an integral portion of the College Basketball Experience created by the National ...

. * Issel was inducted into the Batavia High School Hall of Honor in 2015. * In 2018, Issel was inducted into the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame. *In April 2021, Issel joined local radio station ESPN Louisville to host ''Sports Talk with Dan Issel And Mike Pratt'', airing weekdays from 10 to noon.

ABA/NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Kentucky(ABA) , 83 , , – , , 39.4 , , .485 , , .000 , , .807 , , 13.2 , , 2.0 , , – , , – , , style="background:#cfecec;", 29.9* , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Kentucky(ABA) , 83 , , – , , 43.0 , , .486 , , .273 , , .785 , , 11.2 , , 2.3 , , – , , – , , 30.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Kentucky(ABA) , style="background:#cfecec;", 84* , , – , , 42.0 , , .513 , , .200 , , .764 , , 11.0 , , 2.6 , , – , , – , , 27.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Kentucky(ABA) , 83 , , – , , 40.3 , , .480 , , .176 , , .787 , , 10.2 , , 1.7 , , .8 , , .4 , , 25.5 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6fa;", † , style="text-align:left;", Kentucky(ABA) , 83 , , – , , 34.5 , , .471 , , .000 , , .738 , , 8.6 , , 2.3 , , .9 , , .6 , , 17.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Denver(ABA) , 84 , , – , , 34.0 , , .511 , , .250 , , .816 , , 11.0 , , 2.4 , , 1.2 , , .7 , , 23.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 79 , , – , , 31.7 , , .515 , , – , , .797 , , 8.8 , , 2.2 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , 22.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , – , , 34.8 , , .512 , , – , , .782 , , 10.1 , , 3.7 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , 21.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , – , , 33.9 , , .517 , , – , , .754 , , 9.1 , , 3.1 , , .8 , , .6 , , 17.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , – , , 35.8 , , .505 , , .333 , , .775 , , 8.8 , , 2.4 , , 1.1 , , .7 , , 23.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , – , , 33.0 , , .503 , , .167 , , .759 , , 8.5 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , .7 , , 21.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 81 , , 30.5 , , .527 , , .667 , , .834 , , 7.5 , , 2.2 , , .8 , , .7 , , 22.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , 80 , , 30.4 , , .510 , , .211 , , .835 , , 7.5 , , 2.8 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , 21.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 76 , , 66 , , 27.3 , , .493 , , .211 , , .850 , , 6.8 , , 2.3 , , .8 , , .6 , , 19.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 77 , , 9 , , 21.9 , , .459 , , .143 , , .806 , , 4.3 , , 1.8 , , .8 , , .4 , , 12.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 1,218 , , 236 , , 34.3 , , .499 , , .204 , , .793 , , 9.1 , , 2.4 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , 22.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 7 , , 1 , , 24.7 , , .512 , , – , , .731 , , 6.9 , , 2.3 , , .1 , , .1 , , 14.7

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses ( February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events J ...

, style="text-align:left;", Kentucky(ABA) , 19, , –, , 35.3, , .505, , –, , .878, , 11.6, , 1.5, , –, , –, , 28.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...

, style="text-align:left;", Kentucky(ABA) , 6, , –, , 44.8, , .412, , .000, , .760, , 9.0, , .8, , –, , –, , 22.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: ...

, style="text-align:left;", Kentucky(ABA) , 19, , –, , 43.4, , .497, , .167, , .795, , 11.8, , 1.5, , –, , –, , 27.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

, style="text-align:left;", Kentucky(ABA) , 8, , –, , 38.9, , .444, , –, , .848, , 10.9, , 1.8, , .5, , .8, , 18.5 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6fa;",

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

† , style="text-align:left;", Kentucky(ABA) , 15, , –, , 38.5, , .467, , –, , .811, , 7.9, , 1.9, , 1.1, , .8, , 20.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 ...

, style="text-align:left;", Denver(ABA) , 13, , –, , 36.2, , .489, , .000, , .786, , 12.0, , 2.5, , 1.0, , .6, , 20.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrat ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 6, , –, , 37.0, , .510, , –, , .756, , 9.7, , 2.8, , .8, , .7, , 22.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd government). * January 6 ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 13, , –, , 35.4, , .486, , –, , .862, , 10.3, , 4.1, , .5, , .2, , 20.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the '' International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the '' Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the so ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 3, , –, , 36.3, , .533, , –, , .806, , 9.3, , 3.3, , .0, , .0, , 24.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 3, , –, , 34.3, , .533, , –, , style="background:#cfecec;", 1.000*, , 7.0, , 1.7, , 1.0, , .3, , 25.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 8, , –, , 28.4, , .507, , .000, , .862, , 7.3, , 3.1, , 1.1, , .6, , 20.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 5, , –, , 30.6, , .510, , .500, , .821, , 8.0, , 1.6, , 1.2, , 1.2, , 27.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 15, , 4, , 21.7, , .459, , 1.000, , .813, , 3.6, , 1.8, , .8, , .3, , 12.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 133 , , 4 , , 35.5 , , .487 , , .250 , , .822 , , 9.4 , , 2.1 , , .8 , , .6 , , 22.1

Head coaching record

NBA

, - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 36, , 46, , , , style="text-align:center;", 4th in

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

, , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 42, , 40, , , , style="text-align:center;", 4th in Midwest, , 12, , 6, , 6, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in Conference Semifinals , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 34, , 18, , 16, , , , style="text-align:center;", (resigned), , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", — , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 35, , 47, , , , style="text-align:center;", 5th in Midwest, , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 40, , 42, , , , style="text-align:center;", 6th in Midwest, , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 26, , 9, , 17, , , , style="text-align:center;", (resigned), , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", — , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 388, , 180, , 208, , , , , , 12, , 6, , 6, ,

References

External links

Dan Issel stats at Basketball-Reference

{{DEFAULTSORT:Issel, Dan 1948 births All-American college men's basketball players American color commentators American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Illinois Basketball players from Illinois Denver Nuggets assistant coaches Denver Nuggets executives Denver Nuggets head coaches Denver Nuggets players Detroit Pistons draft picks Kentucky Colonels draft picks Kentucky Colonels players Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players Living people Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees National Basketball Association All-Stars National Basketball Association broadcasters National Basketball Association general managers National Basketball Association players with retired numbers Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) People from Batavia, Illinois People from Windsor, Colorado Power forwards (basketball) Sportspeople from Kane County, Illinois

Early life

College basketball career

Professional basketball career

Kentucky Colonels (1970-1975)

Denver Nuggets (1975-1985)

Coaching career

Personal life

Honors

ABA/NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Head coaching record

NBA

See also

References

External links