III 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 228 Recognizing the 50th anniversary of the Indiana Pacers’ 1972–1973 American Basketball Association Championship and their third American Basket- ball Association Championship in 5 seasons. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MAY 31 (legislative day, MAY 30), 2023 Mr. BRAUN (for himself and Mr. YOUNG) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Trans- portation RESOLUTION Recognizing the 50th anniversary of the Indiana Pacers’ 1972–1973 American Basketball Association Champion- ship and their third American Basketball Association Championship in 5 seasons. Whereas the Indiana Pacers were founded in 1967, as mem- bers of the American Basketball Association; Whereas the Indiana Pacers won American Basketball Asso- ciation Championships in the 1969–1970, 1971–1972, and 1972–1973 seasons and had 2 other championship appearances; Whereas, during the seasons between 1970 and 1975, the In- diana Pacers averaged 51 wins per season; VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:48 Jun 01, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR228.IS SR228 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •SRES 228 IS Whereas Mel Daniels, Freddie Lewis, Roger Brown, and Billy Keller were members of all 3 Indiana Pacers champion- ship teams; Whereas the 1973 Indiana Pacers championship team had a strong native Hoosier presence on the team; Whereas the 1973 Indiana Pacers championship team was built around George McGinnis, who attended George Washington Community High School in Indianapolis, In- diana, and later attended Indiana University; Whereas Billy Keller attended George Washington Commu- nity High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, and later at- tended Purdue University; Whereas Don Buse attended Holland High School in Hol- land, Indiana, and Evansville College in Evansville, Indi- ana; Whereas, during the 1972–1973 season, Don Buse, a rookie, made several contributions, and Gus Johnson, a National Basketball Association veteran at the end of his career, was brought onto the team to bring bench strength and leadership; Whereas the revived group finished with a 51 to 33 record after winning 11 consecutive games late in the 1972– 1973 season, the fourth-best record in the league behind the Carolina Cougars and the Kentucky Colonels in the East and the Utah Stars in the West; Whereas the Indiana Pacers took control of the 1972–1973 series by winning Game 4 on the home court of the Houston Rockets, as Billy Keller hit a game-winning 3- pointer from the left wing off a broken play with 14 sec- onds left for a 97 to 95 victory; VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:48 Jun 01, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR228.IS SR228 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •SRES 228 IS Whereas that shot gained historical value in passing years be- cause William Robert ‘‘Slick’’ Leonard rose off the bench and shouted, ‘‘Boom, Baby!’’ as the ball dropped through the net; Whereas ‘‘Boom, Baby!’’ would become William Robert ‘‘Slick’’ Leonard’s signature call as a broadcaster on every 3-pointer by the Indiana Pacers in following dec- ades; Whereas, on May 12, 1973, the Indiana Pacers beat the Ken- tucky Colonels 88 to 81 in Game 7 of the American Bas- ketball Association Championship; and Whereas that win gave the Indiana Pacers their third and final American Basketball Association title, the most ti- tles held by a team in the history of the American Bas- ketball Association: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that— 1 (1) basketball has a rich history and passionate 2 fan base in the Hoosier State and the Indiana Pac- 3 ers have highlighted that rich history during the 4 time in which they participated in the American 5 Basketball Association; and 6 (2) the history of the Indiana Pacers and their 7 storied legacy should be recognized, especially during 8 2023, which marks the 50th anniversary of the Indi- 9 ana Pacers’ third and last American Basketball As- 10 sociation title and championship. 11 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:48 Jun 01, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR228.IS SR228 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS