70 free Indiana Pacers trivia questions with answers — sports quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
This Indiana Pacers trivia quiz covers the whole franchise story: the six investors who bought an ABA team in 1967, Slick Leonard's three-title dynasty at the State Fairgrounds Coliseum, the lean early NBA years and the lopsided trades that defined them, then Reggie Miller's 18 seasons of tormenting the Knicks, the 2000 Finals, the Malice at the Palace, the Paul George era and Tyrese Haliburton's improbable 2025 run to Game 7 of the Finals. Questions range from easy (what animal is Boomer?) to expert (which fan threw the cup at Ron Artest, and how much was the 1976 NBA entry fee?), with detours into uniforms, arenas, the Pacemates and the Fever. It works as a solo test or as a ready-made round for a watch party at Gainbridge Fieldhouse or your local bar. Every answer was checked against primary and encyclopaedic sources before it went in, so when you miss one you can trust the explanation. If you want the wider league, our NBA trivia page is the natural next stop.
30 of 70 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01In which year were the Pacers founded as an original member of the ABA?
1967
They spent nine seasons in the ABA before the 1976 merger brought them into the NBA.
Q 02What name did the Pacers' home arena, opened in 1999, take in 2021?
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
The building opened in 1999 as Conseco Fieldhouse and became Bankers Life Fieldhouse in 2011; Gainbridge is an Indianapolis-based financial platform.
Q 03The team name 'Pacers' was inspired by which piece of Indiana history?
Indianapolis 500 pace cars and harness racing
The name nods both to the pace cars that lead the field at the Indianapolis 500 and to Indiana's harness-racing tradition.
Q 04How many ABA championships did the Pacers win?
Three
The titles came in 1970, 1972 and 1973, making them the most successful franchise in ABA history.
Q 05By 2026, in which two years had the Pacers reached the NBA Finals?
2000 and 2025
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.
Q 06Which ABA franchise was NOT among the four that joined the NBA alongside the Pacers in the 1976 merger?
Kentucky Colonels
The Colonels and the Spirits of St. Louis were left out and had to be compensated by the four surviving teams.
Q 07How much was the NBA entry fee charged to each former ABA team, including the Pacers, in 1976?
$3.2 million
On top of the fee, the four new teams were barred from sharing national TV revenue for four years, which crippled the Pacers financially.
Q 08Which coach has the most wins in franchise history, with 529 over 12 seasons?
Bobby 'Slick' Leonard
Leonard, a former Indiana Hoosiers standout, coached all three ABA title teams and later became the team's radio color analyst.
Q 09Which future scoring great did the Pacers trade to Denver in 1980 to reacquire an aging George McGinnis?
Alex English
English went on to become one of the highest scorers of the 1980s, while McGinnis contributed little in his two-year return.
Q 10Which player did Portland select second overall with the 1984 pick from the Pacers' Tom Owens trade?
Sam Bowie
Michael Jordan was still on the board when that pick was made, in one of the deepest drafts in NBA history.
Q 11Which Pacers rookie, nicknamed 'The Rifleman', won NBA Rookie of the Year in 1986–87?
Chuck Person
That season also produced the franchise's first NBA playoff win, in Game 3 against Atlanta.
Q 12Reggie Miller was drafted by the Pacers in 1987 out of which college?
UCLA
He began his career as a backup to John Long before becoming the face of the franchise for 18 seasons.
Q 13Fans were upset the Pacers drafted Reggie Miller in 1987 instead of which Indiana University star?
Steve Alford
Alford had just led Indiana to the 1987 NCAA title, and Miller was booed by some fans on draft night.
Q 21By how many points did the Pacers win Game 5 of the 2000 Finals, then their opponent's worst playoff loss?
33
The 120–87 win in Indianapolis kept the series alive before the Lakers closed it out in Game 6.
Q 22Which Hall of Fame Pistons point guard coached the Pacers from 2000 to 2003?
Isiah Thomas
He was dismissed by the new team president in 2003 and replaced by Rick Carlisle.
Q 23Which Pacers forward went to Portland in the 2000 trade that brought Jermaine O'Neal?
Dale Davis
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.
Q 14Which 7-foot-4 center did the Pacers select in the 1988 NBA draft?
Rik Smits
Smits, 'The Dunking Dutchman', was taken second overall and remained the franchise's highest pick until 2022.
Q 15In 1989 the Pacers traded Herb Williams to Dallas for which future Sixth Man of the Year?
Detlef Schrempf
Schrempf later became a starter and All-Star in Indiana before being dealt to Seattle in 1993.
Q 16Reggie Miller's 1994 'choke sign' was aimed at which Knicks celebrity fan?
Spike Lee
Miller scored 25 points in the fourth quarter of that game, including five three-pointers, to erase a 15-point deficit.
Q 17In Game 1 of the 1995 East semifinals, Reggie Miller scored eight points in how many seconds?
8.9
The Pacers had trailed by six with 16.4 seconds left and won by two; they went on to take the series in seven.
Q 18The 1995–96 Pacers were the only team to beat which record-setting 72–10 club twice that season?
Chicago Bulls
Their own season ended early after Miller fractured his eye socket in April.
Q 19Which Indiana native and former Celtics great was hired as Pacers head coach in 1997?
Larry Bird
He improved the team by 19 wins in his first season and took them to the 2000 NBA Finals before retiring from coaching.
Q 20Which team defeated the Pacers in six games in the 2000 NBA Finals?
Los Angeles Lakers
It was the first title of the Shaq-and-Kobe three-peat, and the Pacers' first NBA Finals appearance.
Q 24The 2002 trade that brought Ron Artest and Brad Miller to Indiana sent which Fab Five member to the Bulls?
Jalen Rose
Travis Best also went to Chicago, while Kevin Ollie and Ron Mercer came to Indiana with Artest and Miller.
Q 25What was the Pacers' record in 2003–04, the best in the NBA that season and a franchise record?
61–21
Ron Artest was named Defensive Player of the Year that season, but Detroit ended the run in the East finals.
Q 26The 'Malice at the Palace' brawl on November 19, 2004, took place during a game against which team?
Detroit Pistons
The game was called off with 45.9 seconds left as the Pacers left the floor under a shower of drinks.
Q 27How many games was Ron Artest suspended for the 2004 brawl, then the NBA's longest on-court suspension?
73
Stephen Jackson got 30 games and Jermaine O'Neal 25, later reduced to 15 by an arbitrator.
Q 28What was the name of the Pistons fan who threw a cup of Diet Coke at Ron Artest?
John Green
Green happened to be sitting next to Ben Wallace's brother when he threw the cup.
Q 29Which jersey number did the Pacers retire for Reggie Miller in March 2006?
31
Miller played all 18 of his NBA seasons in Indiana and scored 27 points in his final game, a 2005 playoff loss to Detroit.
Q 30In 2005–06 the Pacers traded Ron Artest to Sacramento in exchange for which sharpshooting forward?
Peja Stojaković
Stojaković spent only half a season in Indiana before leaving for New Orleans in free agency.