The Indianapolis Olympians were a founding National Basketball Association (NBA) team based in Indianapolis. They were founded in 1949 and folded in 1953. Their home arena was Butler Fieldhouse on the campus of Butler University, now known as Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Geoffrey Michael Petrie is an American former professional basketball player. A native of Pennsylvania, he played professional basketball in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Portland Trail Blazers where he won NBA Rookie of the Year in 1971. After retirement as a player he entered management, and was the President of Basketball Operations for the Sacramento Kings in the NBA until June 2013.
Donald Neil Johnston was an American basketball player and coach. A center, Johnston played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1951 to 1959. He was a member of the Philadelphia Warriors for his entire career. Known for his hook shot, Johnston was a six-time NBA All-Star; he led the NBA in scoring three times and led the league in rebounding once. He won an NBA championship with the Warriors in 1956. After his playing career ended due to a knee injury, Johnston coached in the NBA, in other professional basketball leagues, and at the collegiate level. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1990.
Alex John Groza was an American professional basketball player from Martins Ferry, Ohio. Resulting from the CCNY point shaving scandal, Groza was banned from the National Basketball Association (NBA) for life in 1951. In college, he won two NCAA championships as captain of the University of Kentucky Wildcats, and was a two-time All-NBA player for the Indianapolis Olympians before his career abruptly ended.
William Robert "Slick" Leonard was an American professional basketball player, coach and color commentator. He played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers, where he was a two-time All-American and a member of their national championship squad in 1953. After playing professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA), Leonard coached the Indiana Pacers to three American Basketball Association (ABA) championships. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 2014.
Richard Albert Van Arsdale is an American former professional basketball player and coach, and a current National Basketball Association (NBA) executive.
Lance Blanks was an American professional basketball player and executive who worked as an analyst for ESPN. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves. Blanks also spent several seasons playing in Europe. Blanks worked as the general manager of the Phoenix Suns from 2010 to 2013.
Donald R. Buse is a retired American professional basketball player. A 6'4" point guard from the University of Evansville, Buse played 13 seasons (1972–1985) in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Indiana Pacers, the Phoenix Suns, the Portland Trail Blazers, and the Kansas City Kings.
Ray Lee Tolbert is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the New Jersey Nets in the first round of the 1981 NBA draft. A 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) power forward from Indiana University, Tolbert played in five NBA seasons for six different teams. He played for the Nets, Seattle SuperSonics, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Atlanta Hawks.
Wilbert Jones is an American former professional basketball player.
Charles Francis "Cotton" Nash was an American professional basketball and baseball player. He played as a forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Los Angeles Lakers and San Francisco Warriors, and in the American Basketball Association (ABA) for the Kentucky Colonels. He was an outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins.
James H. Holstein was an American professional basketball player.
Craig Milford Raymond was an American professional basketball player.
George Raff Brown was an American basketball player for the Minneapolis Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball at Wayne State University. Brown was selected by the Lakers in the fourth round of the 1957 NBA draft. He played one game for the Lakers. He also played for the Harlem Globetrotters and later in the Midwest Professional Basketball League.
James W. Caldwell was an American professional basketball player. He attended Lawrenceburg high school in Indiana before playing college basketball for the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Duane M. Klueh was an American basketball player and coach. Born in Bottineau, North Dakota, he was raised in Terre Haute, Indiana. He was the head men's basketball coach at Indiana State University for 12 seasons (1955–1967). As a Head Coach, he remains the leader in wins. Klueh played professionally in the NBA from 1949 to 1951.
Ralph Albert Hamilton was an American professional basketball player. He played for the Fort Wayne Pistons and Indianapolis Jets of the National Basketball League and the Basketball Association of America (BAA), precursors to the modern day National Basketball Association (NBA). Hamilton was traded by the Pistons to the Jets in December 1948.
Michael Price is an American former professional basketball player. He played for three seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers. Price played college basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini and was selected in the first round of the 1970 NBA draft by the New York Knicks. He is the older brother of fellow NBA player Jim Price.
Ben Larson is an American former college basketball player. A native of Elkhart, Indiana, Larson played NCAA Division I basketball at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo from 1995 to 1999, where as a true freshman he was named the American West Conference Player of the Year. The 1995–96 season saw him average career highs of 12.8 points, 5.2 assists, 3.4 steals, and 2.7 rebounds per game. He led the American West in assists and steals per game in guiding the Mustangs to win the regular season championship. Despite being named as the league's player and freshman of the year, Larson was not named to an all-conference squad.
