Indiana Pacers 50th Anniversary: All-Decade Team, 1967-77

Freddie Lewis

Statistics: 16.1 PPG, 4.0 APG, 3.9 RPG

Every great basketball team needs a floor general who runs the show — for the Indiana Pacers of this era, that man was Freddie Lewis.

Freddie Lewis’ pro basketball career started humbly, as he was the 88th overall pick in the 1966 NBA Draft. After one NBA season with the Cincinnati Royals, Lewis joined the ABA’s Indiana Pacers for a seven-year stretch that included all three of Indiana’s ABA Championship seasons.

Freddie Lewis was a very good all-around player who could score, pass and even rebound from the point guard position. Lewis is considered by many to have been the heart and soul of the Pacers during their tremendously successful run in the early 1970s.

After the 1973-74 season, Indiana decided to start over and traded several of their key players, including Lewis. However, the Pacers brought Freddie Lewis back for the team’s inaugural NBA season in 1976-77.

Lewis was one of only a handful of players to bridge the gap between the Pacers’ ABA and NBA teams, which was fitting given Lewis’ significant contributions to the franchise that put them in position to join the NBA after the ABA folded.

Freddie Lewis was a four-time ABA All-Star and was named MVP of the 1972 ABA Playoffs. Lewis’ leadership and productivity were essential to the Pacers during their ABA dynasty, making him a valued member of the 1967-77 All-Decade team.