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If you've ever strolled through the IMS Pavillion on the main concourse of Bankers Life Fieldhouse, you've probably stopped to admire the mural that's painted on the wall near the escalators. The mural pays homage to Pacers greats like Reggie Miller, George McGinnis, Mel Daniels, Roger Brown and more. But what most admirers of the piece may not know is that the artist, Indianapolis native Pamela Bliss, is currently in Los Angeles hoping a movie that she contributed to wins an Oscar at the Academy Awards.
Indiana Pacers forward Paul George has been honored as the inaugural recipient of the 2015-16 Mel Daniels Award, the Indianapolis Chapter of Professional Basketball Writers Association announced today. The award is named after the late Mel Daniels, who was a humble and generous teammate with the Pacers and displayed those same attributes with the media. The two-time Most Valuable Player in the ABA and starting center on three championship teams maintained a cooperative and honest approach with reporters throughout his six seasons with the team. As a scout with the Pacers, he continued to be an accessible source for reporters seeking inside knowledge and offered reliable insight to those writing about his former teammates or coach. He never sought attention, yet never refused to cooperate with those seeking information.
Peter Vecsey: RMiller's remembrance of Mel Daniels was phenomenal. Slick Leonard's reflected core of undying love 4 each other & Pacers past & present. Slick cried...as we all did, and do. Never has there been a person as habitually straightforward as Mel Daniels, who had so many people claiming 2B his best friend. It's a tie!
Mark Montieth: Celtics coach Walter McCarty sporting the shirt honoring Mel Daniels tonight. https://t.co/mA6H2JFDwd
Scott Agness: Pacers will wear a special shooting shirt tonight in honor of the late Mel Daniels. They will celebrate his life and career at halftime.
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Prior to tip-off on Saturday night's game against the Jazz, the Pacers will mourn the passing of Basketball Hall of Famer and Pacers great, Mel Daniels, with a moment of silence. On Wednesday, November 4, the Pacers will recognize and celebrate his life and accomplishments with a series of special tributes throughout the game.
Dahntay Jones: It saddens me to hear that Mel Daniels has passed. Such a great guy to be around. We are praying for his family #RIPMelDaniels
I called Mel to congratulate him after hearing of his selection to the Hall of Fame in 2012. He was the first ABA player to go into the Hall, but he wasn't celebrating. He immediately began complaining. Slick should have gone in before him. Brown, too. Certain ABA opponents as well. His selection only dredged up his feelings for other people.
Mel expressed many of his feelings through poems. He wrote thousands of them. He considered them his form of doodling. He wrote poems about senior living communities, poems about basketball, poems about friends. Poems for friends, too. Most prominently, there was the one that helped convince Reggie Miller to stay retired, reminding him that his day had passed. Reggie told him he couldn't have written it, he was too dumb to come up with something like that. Mel always burst out into that distinctive laugh – the one that somehow managed to be both high-pitched and deep at the same time – when he told that story.
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The Indiana Pacers today are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former center Mel Daniels, a stalwart on the team's three American Basketball Association championship teams and a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Daniels died Friday in Sheridan, Ind. He was 71. He is survived by his wife, CeCe and family.
"I join our extended Pacers family in offering my sincerest condolences to CeCe and Mel's family," said Pacers Sports & Entertainment owner Herb Simon. "We will miss him greatly, but when we look at that Hall of Fame banner in Bankers Life Fieldhouse, we will be forever reminded of what he meant to this franchise."
Mark Jackson: Devastated to hear the news about Hall of Famer/Pacer Great Mel Daniels! I LOVE the man! Thanks 4 believing in me Unc!! #RIP
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