Charlie Beasley (American professional basketball player)

Professional career

Beasley spent his entire professional career in the ABA, appearing in 281 games for franchise teams that included the Dallas/Texas Chaparrals and The Floridians. He was part of team rosters during the ABA's early expansion and franchise relocations, contributing as a steady member of the rotation rather than as a high-profile star.

• Dallas Chaparrals (1967–1970)
• Texas Chaparrals (brief franchise rebranding)
• The Floridians (1970–1971)

Context and playing era

The ABA, founded in 1967, emphasized a faster, more flamboyant style of play and introduced innovations such as the three-point shot and colorful ball designs. Players like Beasley helped populate rosters of teams that moved frequently and experimented with markets. Though not every player from that era became widely known, collective contributions from role players were important to the league's competitiveness and to the eventual merger with the NBA in 1976.

Personal life

Beasley was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, on September 23, 1945. Public accounts note that he was married and had a son. After his playing days he lived outside the national spotlight; his death was reported on April 11, 2015 in McKinney, Texas, at age 69.

Legacy

Though not a household name today, Beasley's career is representative of many professional players of the 1960s and 1970s whose steady service helped establish and sustain early professional leagues. Records such as the count of 281 ABA games offer a concise measure of his longevity in the league. For those researching the ABA era, team histories and archived box scores provide additional context about players like Beasley and the seasons in which they played.

For further reading about the teams and the ABA's role in basketball history, consult historical team records and league retrospectives available from sports archives and specialized histories.