Top 5 New Mexico Lobos basketball players of all time
1. Mel Daniels
Like three other players on this list, Daniels didn鈥檛 begin his college basketball career at UNM, but he still became one of the program鈥檚 greatest players of all time and had arguably the greatest pro career of any former Lobo. Like his longtime friend Harge a few years before, Daniels transferred to UNM from Burlington Junior College. He became an All-American at New Mexico and averaged 20 points and 11 rebounds in three seasons and 77 games (from 1963-67) played for the Lobos and his 44 career double-doubles still stand as the most in school history.
Drafted by both the Cincinnati Royals of the NBA and the Minnesota Muskies of the ABA in 1967, Daniels decided to play in the ABA where he found great success with the Muskies (1967-68) and the Indiana Pacers (1968-74). After making his first All-Star Game and winning ABA Rookie of the Year in 1968, Daniels was traded to the Pacers, with whom he made six more All-Star Games, became a two-time ABA MVP (1969 and 鈥�71), a three-time rebounding champion (1968, 69 and 鈥�71) and a three-time ABA champion (1970, 鈥�72 and 鈥�73). After seven successful seasons in Indiana, Daniels played one more ABA season with the Memphis Sounds (1974-75) before finishing his pro playing career with one season in the NBA with the New Jersey Nets. Daniels retired with career averages of 18.4 points and 14.9 rebounds and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.
One of the more dominating and ferocious players on the court… inductee Mel Daniels!
— NBA History (@NBAHistory)
