III 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 228 

Recognizing the 50th anniversary of the Indiana Pacers’ 1972–1973 American 

Basketball Association Championship and their third American Basketball Association Championship in 5 seasons. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 31 (legislative day, MAY 30), 2023 

Mr. BRAUN (for himself and Mr. YOUNG) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the 50th anniversary of the Indiana Pacers’ 

1972–1973 American Basketball Association Championship and their third American Basketball Association 

Championship in 5 seasons. 

Whereas the Indiana Pacers were founded in 1967, as members of the American Basketball Association; 

Whereas the Indiana Pacers won American Basketball Association Championships in the 1969–1970, 1971–1972, 

and 1972–1973 seasons and had 2 other championship 

appearances; 

Whereas, during the seasons between 1970 and 1975, the Indiana Pacers averaged 51 wins per season; 


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•SRES 228 IS 

Whereas Mel Daniels, Freddie Lewis, Roger Brown, and Billy 

Keller were members of all 3 Indiana Pacers championship teams; 

Whereas the 1973 Indiana Pacers championship team had a 

strong native Hoosier presence on the team; 

Whereas the 1973 Indiana Pacers championship team was 

built around George McGinnis, who attended George 

Washington Community High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, and later attended Indiana University; 

Whereas Billy Keller attended George Washington Community High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, and later attended Purdue University; 

Whereas Don Buse attended Holland High School in Holland, Indiana, and Evansville College in Evansville, Indiana; 

Whereas, during the 1972–1973 season, Don Buse, a rookie, 

made several contributions, and Gus Johnson, a National 

Basketball Association veteran at the end of his career, 

was brought onto the team to bring bench strength and 

leadership; 

Whereas the revived group finished with a 51 to 33 record 

after winning 11 consecutive games late in the 1972– 

1973 season, the fourth-best record in the league behind 

the Carolina Cougars and the Kentucky Colonels in the 

East and the Utah Stars in the West; 

Whereas the Indiana Pacers took control of the 1972–1973 

series by winning Game 4 on the home court of the 

Houston Rockets, as Billy Keller hit a game-winning 3- 

pointer from the left wing off a broken play with 14 seconds left for a 97 to 95 victory; 


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•SRES 228 IS 

Whereas that shot gained historical value in passing years because William Robert ‘‘Slick’’ Leonard rose off the bench 

and shouted, ‘‘Boom, Baby!’’ as the ball dropped through 

the net; 

Whereas ‘‘Boom, Baby!’’ would become William Robert 

‘‘Slick’’ Leonard’s signature call as a broadcaster on 

every 3-pointer by the Indiana Pacers in following decades; 

Whereas, on May 12, 1973, the Indiana Pacers beat the Kentucky Colonels 88 to 81 in Game 7 of the American Basketball Association Championship; and 

Whereas that win gave the Indiana Pacers their third and 

final American Basketball Association title, the most titles held by a team in the history of the American Basketball Association: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that— 

2 (1) basketball has a rich history and passionate 

3 fan base in the Hoosier State and the Indiana Pac4 ers have highlighted that rich history during the 

5 time in which they participated in the American 

6 Basketball Association; and 

7 (2) the history of the Indiana Pacers and their 

8 storied legacy should be recognized, especially during 

9 2023, which marks the 50th anniversary of the Indi10 ana Pacers’ third and last American Basketball As11 sociation title and championship. 

Æ 


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