Zelmo Beaty

Zelmo "Big Z" Beaty was an American basketball player. He played eight seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and four in the rival American Basketball Association (ABA). Beaty excelled in both high school and college basketball before being selected as a first round draft pick by the St. Louis Hawks in 1962. He was a two-time All-Star for the team in seven years before deciding to jump to the Utah Stars in 1970. In four seasons with the Stars, he was an ABA All-Star three times while being a key figure in the team's run to the 1971 ABA championship, where he recorded 36 points and 16 rebounds in the decisive Game 7 on his way to being named Playoffs MVP; it is still the only professional basketball championship for the state of Utah. Beaty's career soon drew to a close due to knee injuries due to his physical play of the years that saw him retire in 1975 at the age of 36. A three-time ABA All-Star and two-time NBA All-Star to go along with being selected to the ABA All-Time Team, Beaty was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 2016.