Dan Issel
C · Denver Nuggets
Seasons 1970-71–1984-85 · 15 on record · Ht 6-9 · b. 1948
★ Hall of Fame7× All-Star
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Player info
| Nickname | The Horse |
|---|---|
| Position | C |
| Number | #44 (also #25) |
| Team | Denver Nuggets |
| Height | 6-9 |
| Weight | 235 lb |
| Born | 1948-10-25 |
| College | Kentucky |
| Drafted | 1970 · Round 8, Pick 122 · Detroit Pistons |
| Seasons | 1970-71–1984-85 (15) |
Career averages
22.6 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 2.4 APG · 1218 games · .499 FG% · .204 3P%.
Stats by season — per game
| Season | Tm | Age | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | PER | TS% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970-71 | KEN | 22 | 83 | 39.4 | .485 | 0.000 | .807 | 13.2 | 2.0 | — | — | 29.9 | 25.0 | .548 |
| 1971-72 | KEN | 23 | 83 | 43.0 | .486 | .273 | .785 | 11.2 | 2.3 | — | — | 30.6 | 23.3 | .544 |
| 1972-73 | KEN | 24 | 84 | 42.0 | .513 | .200 | .764 | 11.0 | 2.6 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 27.3 | 23.5 | .563 |
| 1973-74 | KEN | 25 | 83 | 40.3 | .480 | .176 | .787 | 10.2 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 25.5 | 20.7 | .534 |
| 1974-75 | KEN | 26 | 83 | 34.5 | .471 | 0.000 | .738 | 8.6 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 17.7 | 16.9 | .507 |
| 1975-76 | DNA | 27 | 84 | 34.0 | .511 | .250 | .816 | 11.0 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 23.0 | 21.8 | .567 |
| 1976-77 | DEN | 28 | 79 | 31.7 | .515 | — | .797 | 8.8 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 22.3 | 21.2 | .578 |
| 1977-78 | DEN | 29 | 82 | 34.8 | .512 | — | .782 | 10.1 | 3.7 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 21.3 | 21.5 | .571 |
| 1978-79 | DEN | 30 | 81 | 33.9 | .517 | — | .754 | 9.1 | 3.1 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 17.0 | 18.3 | .568 |
| 1979-80 | DEN | 31 | 82 | 35.8 | .505 | .333 | .775 | 8.8 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 23.8 | 22.2 | .571 |
| 1980-81 | DEN | 32 | 80 | 33.0 | .503 | .167 | .759 | 8.5 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 21.9 | 21.7 | .575 |
| 1981-82 | DEN | 33 | 81 | 30.5 | .527 | .667 | .834 | 7.5 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 22.9 | 23.1 | .608 |
| 1982-83 | DEN | 34 | 80 | 30.4 | .510 | .211 | .835 | 7.5 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 21.6 | 21.6 | .573 |
| 1983-84 | DEN | 35 | 76 | 27.3 | .493 | .211 | .850 | 6.8 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 19.8 | 21.1 | .561 |
| 1984-85 | DEN | 36 | 77 | 21.9 | .459 | .143 | .806 | 4.3 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 12.8 | 16.9 | .528 |
Stats by season — totals
| Season | Tm | G | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | FT | FTA | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970-71 | KEN | 83 | — | 3,274 | 938 | 1,934 | .485 | 0 | 15 | 604 | 748 | 1093 | 162 | — | — | 221 | 2,480 |
| 1971-72 | KEN | 83 | — | 3,570 | 972 | 2,001 | .486 | 3 | 11 | 591 | 753 | 931 | 195 | — | — | 244 | 2,538 |
| 1972-73 | KEN | 84 | — | 3,531 | 902 | 1,757 | .513 | 3 | 15 | 485 | 635 | 922 | 220 | 96 | 40 | 216 | 2,292 |
| 1973-74 | KEN | 83 | — | 3,347 | 829 | 1,726 | .480 | 3 | 17 | 457 | 581 | 847 | 137 | 69 | 32 | 171 | 2,118 |
| 1974-75 | KEN | 83 | — | 2,864 | 614 | 1,303 | .471 | 0 | 5 | 237 | 321 | 710 | 188 | 76 | 48 | 157 | 1,465 |
| 1975-76 | DNA | 84 | — | 2,856 | 752 | 1,472 | .511 | 1 | 4 | 425 | 521 | 923 | 201 | 100 | 56 | 200 | 1,930 |
| 1976-77 | DEN | 79 | — | 2,507 | 660 | 1,282 | .515 | — | — | 445 | 558 | 696 | 177 | 91 | 29 | — | 1,765 |
| 1977-78 | DEN | 82 | — | 2,851 | 659 | 1,287 | .512 | — | — | 428 | 547 | 830 | 304 | 100 | 41 | 259 | 1,746 |
| 1978-79 | DEN | 81 | — | 2,742 | 532 | 1,030 | .517 | — | — | 316 | 419 | 738 | 255 | 61 | 46 | 171 | 1,380 |
| 1979-80 | DEN | 82 | 82 | 2,938 | 715 | 1,416 | .505 | 4 | 12 | 517 | 667 | 719 | 198 | 88 | 54 | 163 | 1,951 |
| 1980-81 | DEN | 80 | — | 2,641 | 614 | 1,220 | .503 | 2 | 12 | 519 | 684 | 676 | 158 | 83 | 53 | 130 | 1,749 |
| 1981-82 | DEN | 81 | 81 | 2,472 | 651 | 1,236 | .527 | 4 | 6 | 546 | 655 | 608 | 179 | 67 | 55 | 169 | 1,852 |
| 1982-83 | DEN | 80 | 80 | 2,431 | 661 | 1,296 | .510 | 4 | 19 | 400 | 479 | 596 | 223 | 83 | 43 | 174 | 1,726 |
| 1983-84 | DEN | 76 | 66 | 2,076 | 569 | 1,153 | .493 | 4 | 19 | 364 | 428 | 513 | 173 | 60 | 44 | 122 | 1,506 |
| 1984-85 | DEN | 77 | 9 | 1,684 | 363 | 791 | .459 | 1 | 7 | 257 | 319 | 331 | 137 | 65 | 31 | 93 | 984 |
| Career | 1218 | — | — | 10,431 | 20,904 | .499 | 29 | 142 | 6591 | 8315 | 11133 | 2907 | 1039 | 572 | 2490 | 27,482 |
Per 36 minutes
| Season | Tm | G | MPG | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | FT | FTA | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970-71 | KEN | 83 | 39.4 | 10.3 | 21.3 | .485 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 6.6 | 8.2 | 12.0 | 1.8 | — | — | 2.4 | 27.3 |
| 1971-72 | KEN | 83 | 43.0 | 9.8 | 20.2 | .486 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 6.0 | 7.6 | 9.4 | 2.0 | — | — | 2.5 | 25.6 |
| 1972-73 | KEN | 84 | 42.0 | 9.2 | 17.9 | .513 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 4.9 | 6.5 | 9.4 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 2.2 | 23.4 |
| 1973-74 | KEN | 83 | 40.3 | 8.9 | 18.6 | .480 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 4.9 | 6.2 | 9.1 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 1.8 | 22.8 |
| 1974-75 | KEN | 83 | 34.5 | 7.7 | 16.4 | .471 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 8.9 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 18.4 |
| 1975-76 | DNA | 84 | 34.0 | 9.5 | 18.6 | .511 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 5.4 | 6.6 | 11.6 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 24.3 |
| 1976-77 | DEN | 79 | 31.7 | 9.5 | 18.4 | .515 | — | — | 6.4 | 8.0 | 10.0 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 0.4 | — | 25.3 |
| 1977-78 | DEN | 82 | 34.8 | 8.3 | 16.3 | .512 | — | — | 5.4 | 6.9 | 10.5 | 3.8 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 3.3 | 22.0 |
| 1978-79 | DEN | 81 | 33.9 | 7.0 | 13.5 | .517 | — | — | 4.1 | 5.5 | 9.7 | 3.3 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 2.2 | 18.1 |
| 1979-80 | DEN | 82 | 35.8 | 8.8 | 17.4 | .505 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 6.3 | 8.2 | 8.8 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 2.0 | 23.9 |
| 1980-81 | DEN | 80 | 33.0 | 8.4 | 16.6 | .503 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 7.1 | 9.3 | 9.2 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 1.8 | 23.8 |
| 1981-82 | DEN | 81 | 30.5 | 9.5 | 18.0 | .527 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 8.0 | 9.5 | 8.9 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 2.5 | 27.0 |
| 1982-83 | DEN | 80 | 30.4 | 9.8 | 19.2 | .510 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 5.9 | 7.1 | 8.8 | 3.3 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 2.6 | 25.6 |
| 1983-84 | DEN | 76 | 27.3 | 9.9 | 20.0 | .493 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 6.3 | 7.4 | 8.9 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 2.1 | 26.1 |
| 1984-85 | DEN | 77 | 21.9 | 7.8 | 16.9 | .459 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 5.5 | 6.8 | 7.1 | 2.9 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 2.0 | 21.0 |
Counting stats scaled to a per-36-minute pace.
Advanced stats
| Season | Tm | G | MP | PER | TS% | USG% | OWS | DWS | WS | WS/48 | OBPM | DBPM | BPM | VORP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970-71 | KEN | 83 | 3,274 | 25.0 | .548 | 26.9 | 8.1 | 2.6 | 10.7 | .157 | — | — | — | — |
| 1971-72 | KEN | 83 | 3,570 | 23.3 | .544 | 27.8 | 8.4 | 5.1 | 13.5 | .181 | — | — | — | — |
| 1972-73 | KEN | 84 | 3,531 | 23.5 | .563 | 24.9 | 8.8 | 6.9 | 15.8 | .214 | — | — | — | — |
| 1973-74 | KEN | 83 | 3,347 | 20.7 | .534 | 24.9 | 9.5 | 4.3 | 13.8 | .197 | +3.4 | -0.8 | +2.6 | +3.9 |
| 1974-75 | KEN | 83 | 2,864 | 16.9 | .507 | 22.0 | 4.4 | 4.9 | 9.3 | .156 | +1.5 | +0.1 | +1.7 | +2.6 |
| 1975-76 | DNA | 84 | 2,856 | 21.8 | .567 | 24.7 | 8.6 | 3.8 | 12.5 | .209 | +3.3 | -0.9 | +2.4 | +3.2 |
| 1976-77 | DEN | 79 | 2,507 | 21.2 | .578 | — | 7.1 | 3.8 | 10.9 | .208 | +3.1 | -0.4 | +2.7 | +3.0 |
| 1977-78 | DEN | 82 | 2,851 | 21.5 | .571 | 23.9 | 7.9 | 3.1 | 11.1 | .186 | +3.4 | -0.4 | +3.0 | +3.6 |
| 1978-79 | DEN | 81 | 2,742 | 18.3 | .568 | 19.5 | 6.7 | 3.1 | 9.8 | .172 | +2.5 | -0.1 | +2.4 | +3.1 |
| 1979-80 | DEN | 82 | 2,938 | 22.2 | .571 | 25.0 | 9.2 | 2.3 | 11.5 | .188 | +4.1 | -0.8 | +3.3 | +3.9 |
| 1980-81 | DEN | 80 | 2,641 | 21.7 | .575 | 23.2 | 8.9 | 1.6 | 10.5 | .190 | +3.7 | -1.1 | +2.7 | +3.1 |
| 1981-82 | DEN | 81 | 2,472 | 23.1 | .608 | 26.0 | 9.0 | 0.8 | 9.8 | .190 | +4.0 | -1.8 | +2.2 | +2.6 |
| 1982-83 | DEN | 80 | 2,431 | 21.6 | .573 | 25.5 | 6.8 | 1.5 | 8.4 | .165 | +3.2 | -1.2 | +2.1 | +2.5 |
| 1983-84 | DEN | 76 | 2,076 | 21.1 | .561 | 26.6 | 4.8 | 1.3 | 6.1 | .141 | +2.6 | -1.4 | +1.2 | +1.7 |
| 1984-85 | DEN | 77 | 1,684 | 16.9 | .528 | 23.0 | 2.7 | 1.7 | 4.3 | .124 | +0.4 | -0.7 | -0.3 | +0.7 |
| Career | 1218 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 158.0 | — | — | — | — | +33.9 |
PER, True Shooting %, Usage %, Win Shares (Off/Def/Total, per 48), Box Plus/Minus (Off/Def/Total) and Value Over Replacement Player.
Playoff stats
| Season | G | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | TS% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976-77 | 6 | 37.0 | 22.0 | 9.7 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 0.7 | .510 | — | .570 |
| 1977-78 | 13 | 35.4 | 20.2 | 10.3 | 4.1 | 0.5 | 0.2 | .486 | — | .544 |
| 1978-79 | 3 | 36.3 | 24.3 | 9.3 | 3.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .533 | — | .622 |
| 1981-82 | 3 | 34.3 | 25.3 | 7.0 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 0.3 | .533 | — | .582 |
| 1982-83 | 8 | 28.4 | 20.4 | 7.2 | 3.1 | 1.1 | 0.6 | .507 | 0.000 | .548 |
| 1983-84 | 5 | 30.6 | 27.4 | 8.0 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 1.2 | .510 | .500 | .575 |
| 1984-85 | 15 | 21.7 | 12.4 | 3.6 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 0.3 | .459 | 1.000 | .516 |
| Career | 53 | 30.2 | 19.4 | 7.4 | 2.7 | 0.8 | 0.5 | .496 | .500 | .554 |
Full postseason box-score averages by season, from every playoff game played.
Career splits
| Split | G | PPG | RPG | APG | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 361 | 21.0 | 8.3 | 2.5 | 259–102 |
| Away | 357 | 19.8 | 7.6 | 2.5 | 125–232 |
| In wins | 384 | 21.0 | 8.1 | 2.6 | 384–0 |
| In losses | 334 | 19.7 | 7.7 | 2.4 | 0–334 |
Regular-season career splits by venue and result.
Career stats vs each team
| Opponent | G | PPG | RPG | APG | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATL Atlanta Hawks | 24 | 20.8 | 7.7 | 2.5 | 14–10 |
| BOS Boston Celtics | 24 | 18.6 | 7.8 | 2.2 | 9–15 |
| BKN Brooklyn Nets | 24 | 22.2 | 7.7 | 2.2 | 17–7 |
| CHI Chicago Bulls | 28 | 20.0 | 7.8 | 3.5 | 17–11 |
| CLE Cleveland Cavaliers | 22 | 19.7 | 9.9 | 2.5 | 14–8 |
| DAL Dallas Mavericks | 29 | 19.3 | 6.7 | 2.4 | 17–12 |
| DET Detroit Pistons | 24 | 21.2 | 8.8 | 2.7 | 14–10 |
| GSW Golden State Warriors | 42 | 21.4 | 7.3 | 2.5 | 27–15 |
| HOU Houston Rockets | 39 | 19.6 | 7.5 | 2.4 | 24–15 |
| IND Indiana Pacers | 24 | 21.7 | 9.2 | 2.7 | 13–11 |
| LAC Los Angeles Clippers | 34 | 20.3 | 8.0 | 2.3 | 21–13 |
| LAL Los Angeles Lakers | 43 | 20.8 | 7.2 | 3.0 | 17–26 |
| MIL Milwaukee Bucks | 28 | 20.6 | 8.7 | 2.9 | 17–11 |
| NYK New York Knicks | 23 | 19.0 | 8.5 | 2.6 | 9–14 |
| PHI Philadelphia 76ers | 21 | 19.5 | 7.2 | 3.5 | 5–16 |
| PHX Phoenix Suns | 43 | 20.1 | 7.4 | 1.8 | 22–21 |
| POR Portland Trail Blazers | 40 | 18.7 | 7.4 | 2.2 | 18–22 |
| SAC Sacramento Kings | 45 | 18.6 | 7.4 | 1.8 | 23–22 |
| SAS San Antonio Spurs | 39 | 21.8 | 8.0 | 2.7 | 19–20 |
| UTA Utah Jazz | 48 | 24.5 | 9.1 | 2.5 | 28–20 |
Regular-season career averages against each current franchise.
Frequently asked questions
What team does Dan Issel play for?
Dan Issel plays C for the Denver Nuggets.
What are Dan Issel's career stats?
Dan Issel has averaged 22.6 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 2.4 APG over 15 seasons (1970-71–1984-85).
How tall is Dan Issel?
Dan Issel is 6-9 (235 lb).
When was Dan Issel drafted?
Dan Issel was drafted in 1970, round 8, pick 122, by the Detroit Pistons.