Freddie Lewis, an original ABA legend, is the driving force behind the Pittsburgh Xplosion and its goal to lead the resurgence of professional basketball in the region.

During his 9-year ABA career with the Indiana Pacers and the St. Louis Spirit, Freddie averaged 17 points and 4.2 assists per game. He played in the ABA All Star game four times and was named MVP of the All Star game in the 1974-75 season. As a member of the Indiana Pacers, he earned three ABA championship rings.

Freddie developed his shooting and ball-handling skills as a prolific guard for McKeesport High School. His prowess on the basketball court continued at Eastern Arizona Junior College and then Arizona State University. In 1966, he was drafted in the 10 th round by the Cincinnati Royals of the NBA. Freddie played one season for the Royals and with NBA superstar Oscar Robertson before jumping to the ABA and Indiana in 1967. In his first season with the Pacers, Freddie averaged 20.6 points per game. Overall, he averaged more than 20 points in three different ABA seasons, with a career-best average of 22.2 points for the St. Louis Spirit during the 1975-1976 season, when he was 32 years old.

In 1976, Freddie rejoined the Pacers after the team joined the NBA as part of the historic merger with the ABA. He retired after the 1976-1977 season after an 11-year professional career, including 2 years in the NBA and the remainder in the ABA.

Freddie, 62, resides in McKeesport. In honor of his achievements in professional basketball, the ABA this year named one of its divisions the Freddie Lewis Division, which includes the Pittsburgh Xplosion. He fervently believes that Pittsburgh and the ABA will be a winning combination, and that his team will produce future stars that will rise to greater heights in professional basketball, just as he did almost 40 years ago.