Mike Storen

Mark "Mike" Storen Jr. (September 14, 1935 – May 7, 2020) was an American sports executive in basketball, baseball, and football. After graduating from the University of Notre Dame and a stint in the US Marines, he began his career with the Chicago Zephyrs and became their promotions director after their move to Baltimore. He subsequently served as the first general manager of the Indiana Pacers from 1967 to 1969, before assuming the positions of GM and part-owner of the Kentucky Colonels. He became the commissioner of the American Basketball Association (ABA) in 1973, and played an instrumental role in the league's merger with the National Basketball Association (NBA) three years later.

Early life Storen was born on September 14, 1935, to Mark Storen and Marion Lois Riley, and grew up in Michigan City, Indiana. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame, Storen then became the business manager and assistant general manager of the NBA's Cincinnati Royals. He played a key role in selecting the team's name and colors, as well as in creating their first logo. Storen signed the team's first player in Roger Brown and hired the coach for the inaugural season in Larry Staverman; he fired Staverman nine games into the team's second season and replaced him with Bobby Leonard. Storen was also responsible for the trade for Mel Daniels for $75,000. Brown, Leonard, and Daniels would each later be named to the Basketball Hall of Fame.

In April 1969, Storen and others including – future Governor of Kentucky John Y. Brown, Jr. – bought the ABA's Kentucky Colonels franchise. Storen became president and general manager of the Colonels. Storen had a rocky relationship with the Louisville media after firing Colonels head coach Gene Rhodes, a favorite of the local reporters, due to Rhodes' allegedly mediocre performance. Rhodes succeeded Storen as general manager of the Colonels in 1973, when Storen became Commissioner of the ABA.

In the late 1980s and through the 1990s, Storen was commissioner of the Continental Basketball Association, Global Basketball Association, and Indoor Professional Football League. A message of condolence conveyed by the Indiana Pacers praised Storen, stating that it was "impossible to overstate the impact [he] had on our franchise", from choosing the team's name, logo, and colors to assembling their staff and players. They also credited him for being "the foundation for the tradition of success the Pacers maintain to this day".