70 Fun Facts About Indiana Pacers

In which year were the Pacers founded as an original member of the ABA?

They spent nine seasons in the ABA before the 1976 merger brought them into the NBA.

What name did the Pacers' home arena, opened in 1999, take in 2021?

The building opened in 1999 as Conseco Fieldhouse and became Bankers Life Fieldhouse in 2011; Gainbridge is an Indianapolis-based financial platform.

The team name 'Pacers' was inspired by which piece of Indiana history?

The name nods both to the pace cars that lead the field at the Indianapolis 500 and to Indiana's harness-racing tradition.

How many ABA championships did the Pacers win?

The titles came in 1970, 1972 and 1973, making them the most successful franchise in ABA history.

By 2026, in which two years had the Pacers reached the NBA Finals?

Both trips ended without a title: a six-game loss to the Lakers in 2000 and a Game 7 loss to the Thunder in 2025.

Which ABA franchise was NOT among the four that joined the NBA alongside the Pacers in the 1976 merger?

The Colonels and the Spirits of St. Louis were left out and had to be compensated by the four surviving teams.

How much was the NBA entry fee charged to each former ABA team, including the Pacers, in 1976?

On top of the fee, the four new teams were barred from sharing national TV revenue for four years, which crippled the Pacers financially.

Which coach has the most wins in franchise history, with 529 over 12 seasons?

Leonard, a former Indiana Hoosiers standout, coached all three ABA title teams and later became the team's radio color analyst.

Which future scoring great did the Pacers trade to Denver in 1980 to reacquire an aging George McGinnis?

English went on to become one of the highest scorers of the 1980s, while McGinnis contributed little in his two-year return.

Which player did Portland select second overall with the 1984 pick from the Pacers' Tom Owens trade?

Michael Jordan was still on the board when that pick was made, in one of the deepest drafts in NBA history.

Which Pacers rookie, nicknamed 'The Rifleman', won NBA Rookie of the Year in 1986–87?

That season also produced the franchise's first NBA playoff win, in Game 3 against Atlanta.

Reggie Miller was drafted by the Pacers in 1987 out of which college?

He began his career as a backup to John Long before becoming the face of the franchise for 18 seasons.

Fans were upset the Pacers drafted Reggie Miller in 1987 instead of which Indiana University star?

Alford had just led Indiana to the 1987 NCAA title, and Miller was booed by some fans on draft night.

Which 7-foot-4 center did the Pacers select in the 1988 NBA draft?

Smits, 'The Dunking Dutchman', was taken second overall and remained the franchise's highest pick until 2022.

In 1989 the Pacers traded Herb Williams to Dallas for which future Sixth Man of the Year?

Schrempf later became a starter and All-Star in Indiana before being dealt to Seattle in 1993.

Reggie Miller's 1994 'choke sign' was aimed at which Knicks celebrity fan?

Miller scored 25 points in the fourth quarter of that game, including five three-pointers, to erase a 15-point deficit.

In Game 1 of the 1995 East semifinals, Reggie Miller scored eight points in how many seconds?

The Pacers had trailed by six with 16.4 seconds left and won by two; they went on to take the series in seven.

The 1995–96 Pacers were the only team to beat which record-setting 72–10 club twice that season?

Their own season ended early after Miller fractured his eye socket in April.

Which Indiana native and former Celtics great was hired as Pacers head coach in 1997?

He improved the team by 19 wins in his first season and took them to the 2000 NBA Finals before retiring from coaching.

Which team defeated the Pacers in six games in the 2000 NBA Finals?

It was the first title of the Shaq-and-Kobe three-peat, and the Pacers' first NBA Finals appearance.

By how many points did the Pacers win Game 5 of the 2000 Finals, then their opponent's worst playoff loss?

The 120–87 win in Indianapolis kept the series alive before the Lakers closed it out in Game 6.

Which Hall of Fame Pistons point guard coached the Pacers from 2000 to 2003?

He was dismissed by the new team president in 2003 and replaced by Rick Carlisle.

Which Pacers forward went to Portland in the 2000 trade that brought Jermaine O'Neal?

O'Neal averaged 12.9 points in his first year as a starter and went on to make six All-Star teams with the Pacers.

The 2002 trade that brought Ron Artest and Brad Miller to Indiana sent which Fab Five member to the Bulls?

Travis Best also went to Chicago, while Kevin Ollie and Ron Mercer came to Indiana with Artest and Miller.

What was the Pacers' record in 2003–04, the best in the NBA that season and a franchise record?

Ron Artest was named Defensive Player of the Year that season, but Detroit ended the run in the East finals.

The 'Malice at the Palace' brawl on November 19, 2004, took place during a game against which team?

The game was called off with 45.9 seconds left as the Pacers left the floor under a shower of drinks.

How many games was Ron Artest suspended for the 2004 brawl, then the NBA's longest on-court suspension?

Stephen Jackson got 30 games and Jermaine O'Neal 25, later reduced to 15 by an arbitrator.

What was the name of the Pistons fan who threw a cup of Diet Coke at Ron Artest?

Green happened to be sitting next to Ben Wallace's brother when he threw the cup.

Which jersey number did the Pacers retire for Reggie Miller in March 2006?

Miller played all 18 of his NBA seasons in Indiana and scored 27 points in his final game, a 2005 playoff loss to Detroit.

In 2005–06 the Pacers traded Ron Artest to Sacramento in exchange for which sharpshooting forward?

Stojaković spent only half a season in Indiana before leaving for New Orleans in free agency.

The 2009 trade sending Jermaine O'Neal to Toronto brought which future two-time All-Star center to Indiana?

Hibbert became known as a shot-blocking anchor of the Pacers teams that reached back-to-back East finals in 2013 and 2014.

With which pick did the Pacers select Paul George in the 2010 NBA draft?

George became a five-time All-Star with Indiana before being traded to Oklahoma City in 2017.

On November 9, 2010, the Pacers set a franchise record by scoring how many points in one quarter against Denver?

They shot 20-for-21 in that third quarter and finished four points shy of the all-time NBA record for a quarter.

Which Pacer famously blew into LeBron James's ear during Game 5 of the 2014 Eastern Conference finals?

The Pacers won that game to stave off elimination but were bounced by Miami in Game 6 for a third straight year.

Paul George's 2014 leg fracture happened in a Team USA scrimmage while defending which player on a fast break?

His leg caught the basket stanchion, and he missed all but six games of the 2014–15 season.

Which coach was promoted to replace Frank Vogel after the Pacers declined to renew his contract in 2016?

McMillan went 183–136 over four seasons before parting ways with the team in 2020, two weeks after receiving an extension.

In 2017 the Pacers traded Paul George to the Thunder for Domantas Sabonis and which guard?

The much-criticised deal paid off immediately: Oladipo won Most Improved Player and led the NBA in steals in 2017–18.

Which sharpshooter broke Reggie Miller's franchise record for three-pointers made in a season in 2022–23?

That same season rookie Bennedict Mathurin set the team record for threes by a rookie.

Tyrese Haliburton's 2023 max extension with the Pacers was worth up to how much over five years?

He signed it the same day he was announced as a member of Team USA for the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

From which team did the Pacers acquire Pascal Siakam in a January 2024 three-team deal?

Indiana gave up Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and three future first-round picks for the former champion.

The Pacers' home arena hosted the NBA All-Star Weekend in which year?

Haliburton was voted an Eastern Conference starter for that game in his home arena.

Which team did the Pacers beat 162–109 in March 2025 to set their NBA franchise scoring record?

The 162 points came less than three months before the team reached the NBA Finals.

Which team beat the Pacers in seven games in the 2025 NBA Finals?

It was the first Finals Game 7 since 2016; Indiana had led the series 2–1.

What injury did Tyrese Haliburton suffer in the first quarter of Game 7 of the 2025 Finals?

He missed the entire following season, in which the Pacers finished 19–63.

After his 2023 In-Season Tournament semifinal game-winner, Haliburton mimicked whose 'Dame Time' wrist-tap?

The loss reportedly prompted Bobby Portis to call out his coach and teammates in the Bucks locker room.

After ten seasons in Indiana, center Myles Turner left in 2025 to sign with which division rival?

He was the team's longest-tenured player, and executives said they never got the chance to match Milwaukee's offer.

What kind of animal is Boomer, the Pacers' mascot since 1991–92?

Boomer once had a canine partner named Bowser, who was retired during the 2009–10 season.

Founded in 1967, the Indiana Pacemates are recognised as the first what in the NBA?

They were originally known as the Marathon Scoreboard Girls and later the Paul Harris Pacesetters.

In 2015–16 the Pacers wore maroon-and-gold 'Hickory' alternate uniforms based on which film?

It was the first time a major North American pro team wore a uniform based on a movie.

The Pacers' 1990–97 'FloJo' uniforms were designed by which Olympic track star?

The look, with drop-shadow numbers and tapered side stripes, became synonymous with the mid-1990s Knicks rivalry teams.

The Pacers' original blue and yellow team colours were taken from what?

The palette has since darkened to navy and gold, with cool gray added in 2005.

Michael Jordan's first game back from his first retirement, in 1995, was played in which Pacers venue?

The Pacers won that game; the arena was their home from 1974 to 1999.

Under what name did the Pacers' Gainbridge Fieldhouse open in November 1999?

It became Bankers Life Fieldhouse in 2011 and was renamed Gainbridge Fieldhouse in 2021.

Which WNBA team shares a home arena with the Pacers?

Both teams are owned by Herb Simon through Pacers Sports & Entertainment.

The Pacers' first NBA playoff series win came in a 1994 first-round sweep of which team?

They then upset top-seeded Atlanta before losing a seven-game East finals to the Knicks.

Which coach, rehired in 2021, had also led the Pacers from 2003 to 2007?

He was also a Pacers assistant from 1997 to 2000, and won a title with Dallas between his two Indiana stints.

Who became the first female assistant coach in Pacers history in 2021?

She arrived from Dallas with Rick Carlisle, alongside fellow assistant Mike Weinar.

Which pick did the Pacers use on Bennedict Mathurin in 2022, their highest since 1988?

Mathurin finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting and made the All-Rookie team.

Where did the Pacers play their home games for their first seven seasons, 1967 to 1974?

They won all three of their ABA titles there before moving to Market Square Arena in 1974.

Which team did the Pacers beat in seven games to win their third and final ABA title in 1972-73?

Their earlier ABA titles came against the Los Angeles Stars in 1970 and the New York Nets in 1972.

Whom did Slick Leonard replace as head coach early in the Pacers' second season?

Leonard turned the team into an ABA juggernaut built around Mel Daniels, George McGinnis and Roger Brown.

Which prolific scorer did the Pacers acquire for Billy Knight in 1977, only to trade him that December?

He was averaging nearly 27 points a game at the time, one of many short-lived moves in the franchise's first NBA decade.

Which 1982 Pacers draftee finished second for Rookie of the Year, before a 20-62 season?

He later became a long-time CBS college basketball analyst.

Which point guard did the Pacers acquire from the Clippers before their 52-30 season in 1994-95?

That season brought the franchise's first Central Division title and first 50-win campaign since the ABA days.

What was Larry Bird's record in his first season as Pacers coach in 1997-98?

It was a 19-game improvement and the most wins the franchise had ever managed as an NBA team at that time.

Which draft pick did the Pacers receive from Toronto for forward Antonio Davis before the 1999-2000 season?

The trade preceded the run to the franchise's first NBA Finals.

Whom did the Pacers trade to Sacramento in 2003 for Scot Pollard after they could not afford to keep him?

He had made the All-Star team that season alongside Jermaine O'Neal.

Danny Granger was selected by the Pacers with which pick in the 2005 NBA draft?

He became the team's leading scorer for several seasons before Paul George's rise.

Who was named interim head coach when the Pacers dismissed Jim O'Brien on January 30, 2011?

He was made permanent coach that July and later led the team to back-to-back Eastern Conference finals.

On draft night in 2011, the Pacers acquired which guard from the San Antonio Spurs?

After the lockout the team also signed power forward David West to a two-year deal.