Dan Issel

Dan Issel spanned two leagues and never seemed to slow down. Nicknamed 'the Horse' for his durability, he missed just 24 games across 15 pro seasons. Issel starred first for the ABA's Kentucky Colonels — collecting Rookie of the Year in 1971, six ABA All-Star nods and a 1975 ABA title — before the merger brought him to the NBA and, eventually, the Denver Nuggets. He was a rare scoring big who could work inside and step out to the free-throw line and beyond, and he retired in 1985 with more than 27,000 combined ABA and NBA points, a total trailing only Abdul-Jabbar, Chamberlain and Erving at the time. Denver retired his No. 44, and the Naismith Hall of Fame enshrined him in 1993.