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25 Greatest Players in ABA History

By Maxwell Ogden

SPRINGFIELD, MA - AUGUST 12: Artis Gilmore shakes hands with Hall of Fame Player Julius Erving during the Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony at Symphony Hall on August 12, 2011 in Springfield, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
SPRINGFIELD, MA - AUGUST 12: Artis Gilmore shakes hands with Hall of Fame Player Julius Erving during the Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony at Symphony Hall on August 12, 2011 in Springfield, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) /
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16. Zelmo Beaty

Position: Forward/Center
Years Active: 1970-1974
Team(s): Utah Stars
ABA Averages: 35.5 MPG, 19.1 PPG, 11.6 RPG, 3.7 ORPG, 1.6 APG, 0.9 BPG, 0.8 SPG
Accolades: ABA Champion, ABA Playoffs MVP, 2x All-ABA Second Team, 3x ABA All-Star

If players planned on driving against Zelmo Beaty, they likely had one thought in their respective minds: this is going to hurt. Widely regarded as a kind man off the court, Beaty was a tenacious player on it, playing with an unbridled level of strength and physicality.

One of the best interior scorers and rebounders of his generation, Beaty helped bring the ABA to the forefront of the basketball world.

Beaty played his first seven professional basketball seasons with the St. Louis and Atlanta Hawks of the NBA. After making a pair of All-Star Game appearances, he sat out the 1969-70 season and left the NBA to sign with the Utah Stars of the ABA.

In his first season in the ABA, Beaty guided the Stars to an ABA championship, won Playoffs MVP, was named to the All-ABA Second Team, and led the league in field goal percentage.

Beaty may not have accomplished as much as some other players on this list, but his decision to leave the NBA for the ABA was cruial. It brought an even stronger sense of legitimacy to the ABA, and gave it a new star recognized by basketball fans across the country.

Beaty had a relatively brief tenure in the ABA, but his influence and individual greatness combine to make him one of the greatest players in the history of the league.

Next: No. 15