Indiana Pacers Trivia
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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
The Pacers were founded in 1967 as a charter ABA franchise and played nine ABA seasons 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 Pacers won three ABA championships, in 1970, 1972 and 1973, the most of any franchise in the league's nine-year history.
Q 05By 2026, in which two years had the Pacers reached the NBA Finals?
2000 and 2025
The Pacers reached the NBA Finals in 2000 and 2025 and lost both times, in six games in 2000 and in a deciding seventh game 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
Each of the four ABA clubs paid a $3.2 million entry fee and initially received no NBA national television revenue, a burden that left the Pacers needing a 1977 telethon to survive.
Q 08Which coach has the most wins in franchise history, with 529 over 12 seasons?
Bobby 'Slick' Leonard
Bobby 'Slick' Leonard coached the Pacers from 1968 to 1980, winning every ABA championship in franchise history, and later spent decades as 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
Portland used the Pacers' pick on center Sam Bowie at No. 2 in 1984, with Michael Jordan yet to be picked; leg injuries derailed Bowie's career.
Q 11Which Pacers rookie, nicknamed 'The Rifleman', won NBA Rookie of the Year in 1986–87?
Chuck Person
Chuck Person, nicknamed 'The Rifleman', averaged 18.8 points as a rookie to win 1986-87 Rookie of the Year, the season of the franchise's first NBA playoff win.
Q 12Reggie Miller was drafted by the Pacers in 1987 out of which college?
UCLA
Reggie Miller played four seasons at UCLA, leaving as the Bruins' second-leading career scorer at the time, before the Pacers took him 11th overall in 1987.
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 NBA Finals?
33
The Pacers won Game 5 120-87 in Indianapolis, a 33-point margin, to cut the series deficit to 3-2 before losing Game 6 on the road.
Q 22Which Hall of Fame Pistons point guard coached the Pacers from 2000 to 2003?
Isiah Thomas
Isiah Thomas went 131-115 as Pacers coach, reaching the playoffs each year but never winning a series, before being dismissed in 2003.
Q 23Which Pacers forward went to Portland in the 2000 trade that brought Jermaine O'Neal?
Dale Davis
Dale Davis, fresh off his only All-Star appearance, was sent to Portland that August for Jermaine O'Neal, who 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
Rik Smits, the 7-foot-4 'Dunking Dutchman' from Marist College, went second overall in 1988 and spent all 12 of his NBA seasons with the Pacers.
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
Reggie Miller flashed the choke sign at Spike Lee at Madison Square Garden in Game 5 of the 1994 East finals, scoring 25 fourth-quarter points to win the game.
Q 17In Game 1 of the 1995 East semifinals, Reggie Miller scored eight points in how many seconds?
8.9
Reggie Miller's eight points in 8.9 seconds turned a 105-99 deficit with 16.4 seconds left into a 107-105 Pacers win; Indiana 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
The Chicago Bulls' ten losses in 1995-96 included two to Indiana, the only club to beat them twice; the Pacers then lost in the first round after Reggie Miller fractured his eye socket.
Q 19Who was hired as the Pacers' head coach in 1997?
Larry Bird
Larry Bird, a French Lick native, took over in 1997, improved the Pacers by 19 wins in his first season, was named Coach of the Year, and reached the NBA Finals in his third and final season.
Q 20Which team defeated the Pacers in six games in the 2000 NBA Finals?
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers beat Indiana in six games in the 2000 Finals, the first title of the Shaq-and-Kobe dynasty, with Shaquille O'Neal named Finals MVP.
Q 24The 2002 trade that brought Ron Artest and Brad Miller to Indiana sent which Fab Five member to the Bulls?
Jalen Rose
Jalen Rose, Travis Best and Norman Richardson went to Chicago in the February 2002 deal, which brought Ron Mercer and Kevin Ollie to Indiana alongside the two headliners.
Q 25What was the Pacers' record in 2003–04, the best in the NBA that season and a franchise record?
61–21
The Pacers went 61–21 in 2003-04, a franchise record and the NBA's best mark that season, before losing the East finals in six games.
Q 26The 'Malice at the Palace' brawl on November 19, 2004, took place during a game against which team?
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons were hosting the Pacers at The Palace of Auburn Hills; the game was called off with 45.9 seconds left as Indiana led 97-82 and 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
Ron Artest was suspended for the remaining 73 regular-season games plus the playoffs; Stephen Jackson got 30 games and Jermaine O'Neal 25, later cut 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
John Green threw the cup that hit Ron Artest and then punched him in the stands; Green was banned from the arena and convicted of assault and battery.
Q 29Which jersey number did the Pacers retire for Reggie Miller in March 2006?
31
Reggie Miller's No. 31 went to the rafters on March 30, 2006; he played all 18 of his NBA seasons in Indiana and scored 27 points in his final game, a 2005 playoff loss.
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.