Indiana Pacers

• 1. ABA Dynasty Origins

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  In 1967, six investors pooled their resources to purchase a franchise in the proposed American Basketball Association. Attorney Richard Tinkham, John DeVoe, Chuck DeVoe, entrepreneur Lyn Treece, sports agent Chuck Barnes, and Indianapolis Star sports writer Bob Collins formed the core group that launched the Indiana Pacers. For their first seven years, they played in the Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum. Early in the team's second season, former Indiana Hoosiers standout Bob "Slick" Leonard became head coach. Leonard quickly turned the Pacers into a juggernaut. His teams were buoyed by superstars such as Mel Daniels, George McGinnis, Bob Netolicky, Rick Mount, Freddie Lewis, and Roger Brown. The Pacers won three ABA Championships in four years. They captured titles in 1970 against the Los Angeles Stars, 1972 against the New York Nets, and 1973 against the Kentucky Colonels. In all, they appeared in the ABA Finals five times during the league's nine-year history. This record stood as an ABA benchmark for success.

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• 2. Merger Struggles And Rebuilding

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  The Pacers joined the NBA in 1976 alongside three other ABA teams: the Denver Nuggets, New York Nets, and San Antonio Spurs. The league charged each former ABA team a $3.2 million entry fee to join the merger. Surviving ABA franchises had to compensate two remaining ABA teams that did not merge, the Spirits of St. Louis and Kentucky Colonels. Financial troubles plagued the new NBA teams immediately after the merger. The Pacers began selling off star players even before the transition was complete. Their inaugural NBA season ended with a 36, 46 record. Billy Knight and Don Buse represented Indiana in the NBA All-Star Game, but this remained one of few bright spots in the first 13 years. During that period, the team recorded only two non-losing seasons and just two playoff appearances. They traded away Knight and Buse before the 1977, 78 season started. Adrian Dantley averaged nearly 27 points per game when acquired from the Atlanta Hawks, yet he was traded again in December. John Williamson, their second-leading scorer, was dealt in January. In 1980, they traded Alex English to the Nuggets to reacquire George McGinnis. McGinnis contributed very little during his return while English became one of the greatest scorers in NBA history.

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• 3. The Reggie Miller Era

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  Reggie Miller from UCLA was drafted by the Pacers in 1987 as a backup to John Long. Many fans disagreed with the selection over Steve Alford, an Indiana Hoosiers standout. The team missed the playoffs in 1987, 88 and suffered through a disastrous 1988, 89 season where coach Jack Ramsay stepped down after an 0, 7 start. Mel Daniels and George Irvine filled in on an interim basis before Dick Versace took over the 6, 23 team. In February 1989, the team traded veteran center Herb Williams to the Dallas Mavericks for Detlef Schrempf. From 1989 to 1993, the Pacers played at or near .500 and qualified for the playoffs regularly. In 1994, 95, Mark Jackson joined via trade with the Los Angeles Clippers, providing stability at point guard. The Pacers won their first Central Division title that year with a 52, 30 record. They defeated the Atlanta Hawks in the first round and pushed the Orlando Magic to seven games in the Eastern Conference finals. A memorable moment occurred during the 1995 playoffs when Reggie Miller scored eight points in 8.9 seconds to secure a two-point victory against the New York Knicks. This comeback became known as "The Miller Time" moment.

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• 4. Malice At The Palace Incident

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  On the 19th of November 2004, toward the end of a game against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills, Ron Artest committed a hard foul against Ben Wallace. Wallace retaliated by throwing a towel at Artest, escalating the situation into a full-scale brawl. Fans entered the court, and several Pacers players followed them into the stands. Stephen Jackson chased Artest into the crowd while Jermaine O'Neal struck a fan who came onto the court. The game was called off with 45.9 seconds remaining on the clock. Players left the floor amid showers of beer and other beverages from the stands. NBA Commissioner David Stern suspended Artest for the rest of the regular season and playoffs, totaling 73 games, the longest suspension ever for an on-court incident. Other suspensions included Jackson (30 games), O'Neal (25 games), Wallace (6 games), and Anthony Johnson (5 games). O'Neal's suspension was later reduced to 15 games by arbitrator Roger Kaplan. Following the brawl, the Pacers fell from title contenders to hovering around .500 in winning percentage. Despite adversity, they earned a sixth seed in the playoffs with a 44, 38 record.

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• 5. Modern Championship Contenders

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  In the 2010 NBA draft, the Pacers selected Paul George with the 10th overall pick. They also drafted Lance Stephenson and Ryan Reid in the second round. On the 11th of August 2010, the team acquired Darren Collison and James Posey from the New Orleans Hornets in a four-team deal. In the 2013, 14 season, the Pacers started 33, 7 thanks to the rise of Paul George and Lance Stephenson. They finished with a 56, 26 record and reached the Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat. The series featured an infamous moment when Stephenson blew into LeBron James' ear during game 5. After Paul George suffered a catastrophic open fracture to his right leg on the 1st of August 2014, while playing for Team USA, he missed the entire 2014, 15 season. He returned to play on the 5th of April 2015, shooting 5-of-12 from the field. In 2017, the Pacers traded George to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. Oladipo won the NBA Most Improved Player Award that year. During the 2023 off-season, Tyrese Haliburton signed a max contract extension worth up to $260 million over five years. Haliburton led the team to a 47, 35 record in 2023, 24, securing the sixth seed. They defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in five games and advanced to the Eastern Conference finals.

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• 6. Home Arena Evolution

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  The Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum hosted the Pacers from 1967 to 1974. The team captured three ABA Championships there. In 1974, they moved to Market Square Arena in downtown Indianapolis. The first regular-season game at the new arena occurred on the 18th of October 1974, against the San Antonio Spurs with 7,473 fans in attendance. The final Pacers game at Market Square Arena was a preseason exhibition against the Utah Jazz on the 23rd of October 1999. Gainbridge Fieldhouse opened on the 6th of November 1999, originally named Conseco Fieldhouse. Groundbreaking took place on the 22nd of July 1997, by Ellerbe Becket Architects & Engineers. The venue seats 18,165 for basketball games today, down from its original capacity of 18,345 due to removal of bleacher seats. It has hosted the Big Ten men's tournament multiple times including 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2022, and 2025. The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament was held there in 2017, 2021, 2022, and 2024.

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• 7. Uniform Design History

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  The Indiana Pacers colors include navy blue, yellow (gold), cool gray, and white. Their initial uniforms featured either the state or team name in block letters with contrasting side stripes. The "P" logo debuted on the white uniform during the 1970, 71 season. Ahead of the 1971, 72 season, they introduced double stripes running through the right leg. In 1974, both team and state names changed to script lettering. Midway through the 1989, 90 season, the Pacers unveiled a new uniform designed by Florence Griffith Joyner. This FloJo design featured darker navy blue and deeper yellow palettes with Helvetica-like typeface and drop shadows. It became synonymous with mid-1990s success including two Conference Finals appearances. On the 21st of July 2015, the team collaborated with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios to wear maroon and gold "Hickory" uniforms based on the 1986 film Hoosiers. This marked the first time a major North American pro sports team wore a uniform inspired by a movie. In 2017, Nike introduced updated uniforms featuring subtle pinstripes and a roundel logo promoted to Global status.

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