1972–73 Indiana Pacers season

Offseason

ABA Draft

Main article: 1972 ABA draft

Weirdly enough, as of 2025, there has been no official draft records for the first five rounds of the 1972 ABA draft specifically, while every other round after that point has been properly recorded by basketball historians otherwise. Because of the strange dispersity of draft picks not being properly recorded this year after previously being fully recorded in the previous year's draft and the number of rounds potentially being off for even the players being selected this year, the recorded players selected in this year's draft will be marked with a ? for the pick number in particular (as well as certain round numbers, if necessary) in order to showcase the awkward display currently going on with the 1972 ABA draft year in particular (though what is known is that the Pacers did trade what officially became the #6 pick of the ABA draft this year to the Denver Rockets in a deal involving multiple players at hand after their unofficial #8 pick was made into an official #6 pick after the Memphis Pros and New York Nets had what would have been the official #2 and #6 picks at the time be forfeited by the ABA due to Memphis signing Larry Cannon from Denver sometime after the 1971 ABA draft and the Nets signing Jim Chones, a junior college player that was previously drafted by the Virginia Squires at the time of the previous year's draft before being considered a forfeited drafted pick from the Squires that year, sometime after the 1971 ABA draft as well). However, if any changes come up to where a proper, official recording of the 1972 ABA draft gets released displaying both pick numbers and round numbers for where certain players got selected, please provide the updated (potential) draft ordering with a source confirming the round and pick numbers included here.

The Pacers became the only ABA team to not use the final six rounds of the 1972 ABA draft whatsoever.

Dispersal Draft

Months after the original ABA draft for this year concluded, the ABA held their first ever dispersal draft on July 13, 1972, after it was found out by the ABA itself that neither "The Floridians" nor the Pittsburgh Condors would be able to continue operations either in their original locations or elsewhere in the U.S.A. (or even Canada in the case of "The Floridians"). Unlike the main draft they did during the months of March and April, this draft would last for only six rounds as a one-day deal and would have the nine remaining inaugural ABA teams selecting players that were left over at the time from both "The Floridians" and Pittsburgh Condors franchises (including draft picks from both teams there) and obtain their player rights from there. Any players from either franchise that wouldn't be selected during this draft would be placed on waivers and enter free agency afterward. Interestingly, only 42 total players were selected by the nine remaining ABA teams at the time of the dispersal draft, meaning everyone else that was available from both teams was considered a free agent to the ABA not long afterward. The Pacers would also be the last team to select players from this particular draft since they were back-to-back ABA champions. The following players were either Floridians or Condors players that the Pacers acquired during this dispersal draft.

Every single selection that the Pacers would acquire in this draft would be either draft picks or be college players that "The Floridians" and Pittsburgh Condors would pick up sometime between April 12, the day the 1972 ABA draft officially concluded, and July 13, which was when the dispersal draft officially happened. Dwight Davis and Tracy Tripucka were both drafted during the 1972 ABA draft by "The Floridians" franchise, with "The Floridians" drafting them both at picks #4 and (supposedly) #102, respectively and Dwight Davis later played in the NBA instead. As for Dwight Jones and Brian Adrian, both players were apparently picked up by "The Floridians" and Pittsburgh Condors respectively sometime after the 1972 ABA draft as undrafted prospects (with Jones being picked up by "The Floridians" despite him being a junior at the time of the draft). Jones notably would have his draft pick rights stay with the Pacers for less than a month before the Pacers made sure the newly created San Diego Conquistadors ABA franchise selected Jones with a second round pick they had on the team during the ABA's only expansion draft ever done on August 10, with Jones later playing in the NBA following the 1973 ABA draft period and the 1973 NBA draft that Jones was officially selected in as a senior.

Roster

• Bobby Leonard

Regular season

Schedule

Season standings

Player stats

Regular season

Playoffs

Western Division Semifinals

Western Division Finals

ABA Finals

Awards, records, and honors

• George McGinnis, appeared in the 1973 ABA All-Star Game
• Mel Daniels, appeared in the 1973 ABA All-Star Game

References

• Pacers on Basketball Reference

References

1. "1972 ABA Draft on Basketballreference.com".
2. (June 6, 2007). "1972 ABA Draft".
3. Bradley, Robert D.. (2013). "The Basketball Draft Fact Book: A History of Professional Basketball's College Drafts". Scarecrow Press.
4. [https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/IND/1973_games.html 1972–73 Indiana Pacers Games – Basketball-Reference.com]
5. "1972-73 ABA Season Summary".
6. "1972-73 Indiana Pacers Roster and Stats".
7. "Remember the ABA: 1972-73 Regular Season Standings and Playoff Results".