List of Indiana Pacers head coaches

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The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Pacers play in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team began playing in 1967 as a charter member of the American Basketball Association (ABA), and joined the NBA as part of the ABA–NBA merger. The team has played their home games at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse since the 1999–2000 NBA season. The Pacers are owned by Herbert and Melvin Simon, and David Morway is their general manager. [1] Nate Bjorkgren was the team's head coach in 2020–21 and was fired after one season. Rick Carlisle was hired to replaced Bjorkgren, becoming the coach of the Pacers for the second time.

Contents

There have been 14  head coaches for the Pacers franchise. The franchise's first head coach was Larry Staverman, who coached for two seasons. [2] Bobby Leonard is the franchise's all-time leader for the most regular-season games coached (985), the most regular-season game wins (529), the most playoff games coached (116), and the most playoff game wins (69). [3] Leonard is also the only coach to win an ABA championship with the Pacers, with 3 (1970, 1972, 1973). [4] Larry Bird, who coached three seasons with the Pacers, is the Pacers' all-time leader for the highest winning percentage with .687. [5] Bird is also the only coach to win an NBA Eastern Conference championship with the Pacers, but lost the 2000 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. [6] Mel Daniels is the only Pacers coach to have coached less than one season. [7] Jack Ramsay, Larry Brown, and Bobby Leonard are the only Pacers' coaches to be elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach. [8] [9] Ramsay was also named one of the top 10 coaches in NBA history. [10] Jack McKinney and Larry Bird have won the NBA Coach of the Year Award, in 1980–81 and 1997–98, respectively, with the Pacers. [11] Dick Versace and Bird have spent their entire NBA coaching careers with the Pacers. [5] [12] Frank Vogel was named interim head coach after Jim O'Brien was fired midway through the 2010–11 season. [13]

Key

GCGames coached
WWins
LLosses
Win% Winning percentage
#Number of coaches [a]
*Spent entire NBA head coaching career with the Pacers
†Elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach

Coaches

Note: Statistics are correct through the end of the 2023–24 season.

#NameTerm [b] GCWLWin%GCWLWin%AchievementsReference
Regular seasonPlayoffs
Larry Staverman 1967–1968874047.460303.000 [2]
Bobby Leonard †1968–1980 985529456.5371166947.5953 ABA championships (1970, 1972, 1973) [4] [3]
Jack McKinney 1980–1984 328125203.381202.000 1980–81 NBA Coach of the Year [11] [14]
George Irvine 1984–1986 16448116.293———— [15]
Jack Ramsay † 1986–1988 1717992.462413.250One of the top 10 coaches in NBA history [10] [8]
Mel Daniels 1988 202.000———— [7]
George Irvine 1988–1989 20614.300———— [15]
Dick Versace * 1989–1990 1607387.456303.000 [12]
Bob Hill 1990–1993 221113108.5111239.250 [16]
Larry Brown † 1993–1997 328190138.579382216.579 [9]
Larry Bird * 1997–2000 21414767.687523220.615 1997–98 NBA Coach of the Year [11] [5]
Isiah Thomas 2000–2003 246131115.53315510.333 [17]
Rick Carlisle 2003–2007 328181147.552351817.514 [18]
Jim O'Brien 2007–2010 290121169.417———— [19]
Frank Vogel 2010–2016 431250181.580593029.508 [20]
Nate McMillan 2016–2020 319183136.57419316.158 [21]
Nate Bjorkgren * 2020–2021 723438.472———— [22]
Rick Carlisle 2021–present246107139.4351389.471 [18]

Notes

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indiana Pacers</span> National Basketball Association team in Indianapolis, Indiana

The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference.

The 1978 NBA draft was the 32nd annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 9, 1978, at the Plaza Hotel in New York City, New York, before the 1978–79 season. In this draft, 22 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. The first two picks in the draft belonged to the teams that finished last in each conference, with the order determined by a coin flip. The Indiana Pacers won the coin flip and were awarded the first overall pick, while the Kansas City Kings, who obtained the New Jersey Nets' first-round pick in a trade, were awarded the second pick. The Pacers then traded the first pick to the Portland Trail Blazers before the draft. The remaining first-round picks and the subsequent rounds were assigned to teams in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season. A player who had finished his four-year college eligibility was eligible for selection. If a player left college early, he would not be eligible for selection until his college class graduated. Before the draft, five college underclassmen were declared eligible for selection under the "hardship" rule. These players had applied and gave evidence of financial hardship to the league, which granted them the right to start earning their living by starting their professional careers earlier. Prior to the start of the season, the Buffalo Braves relocated to San Diego and became the San Diego Clippers. The draft consisted of 10 rounds comprising the selection of 202 players.

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Melvin Joe Daniels was an American professional basketball player. He played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) for the Minnesota Muskies, Indiana Pacers, and Memphis Sounds, and in the National Basketball Association for the New York Nets. Daniels was a two-time ABA Most Valuable Player, three-time ABA Champion and a seven-time ABA All-Star. Daniels was the All-time ABA rebounding leader, and in 1997 was named a unanimous selection to the ABA All-Time Team. Daniels was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.

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William Robert "Slick" Leonard was an American professional basketball player, coach and color commentator. He played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers, where he was a two-time All-American and a member of their national championship squad in 1953. After playing professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA), Leonard coached the Indiana Pacers to three American Basketball Association (ABA) championships. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Staverman</span> American basketball player and coach

Lawrence Joseph Staverman was an American professional basketball player and coach. A 6' 7" forward from Villa Madonna College, Staverman was drafted in the 9th round of the 1958 NBA draft by the Cincinnati Royals. He had a five-year career as a player in the NBA, with the Royals, the Chicago Zephyrs/Baltimore Bullets, and the Detroit Pistons.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nate Bjorkgren</span> American basketball coach

Nate Bjorkgren is an American basketball coach who most recently served as an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the University of South Dakota and Buena Vista University. He was previously an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns from 2015 to 2017 and the Toronto Raptors from 2018 to 2020. He was the head coach of the Indiana Pacers for the 2020-2021 season.

References

General
Specific
  1. ↑ "Year by Year with the Pacers". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved November 22, 2008.
  2. 1 2 "Larry Staverman Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on December 23, 2008. Retrieved November 22, 2008.
  3. 1 2 "Slick Leonard Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on March 9, 2011. Retrieved November 22, 2008.
  4. 1 2 "Playoff Index". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on March 20, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2008.
  5. 1 2 3 "Larry Bird Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on March 23, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2008.
  6. ↑ "Shaq Makes Mark in New Millennium". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on February 22, 2012. Retrieved November 22, 2008.
  7. 1 2 "Mel Daniels Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved November 22, 2008.
  8. 1 2 "Jack Ramsay Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on March 23, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2008.
  9. 1 2 "Larry Brown Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 12, 2010. Retrieved November 22, 2008.
  10. 1 2 "Top 10 Coaches in NBA History". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on February 9, 2012. Retrieved July 30, 2008.
  11. 1 2 3 "Coach of the Year". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on September 15, 2010. Retrieved July 30, 2008.
  12. 1 2 "Dick Versace Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on December 22, 2008. Retrieved November 22, 2008.
  13. ↑ "Pacers relieve O'Brien of coaching duties". NBA.com. January 30, 2011. Archived from the original on January 13, 2012. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  14. ↑ "Jack McKinney Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on December 19, 2008. Retrieved November 22, 2008.
  15. 1 2 "George Irvine Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved November 22, 2008.
  16. ↑ "Bob Hill Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on June 14, 2008. Retrieved November 22, 2008.
  17. ↑ "Kevin Pritchard Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on December 29, 2008. Retrieved November 16, 2008.
  18. 1 2 "Rick Carlisle Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on July 4, 2011. Retrieved November 22, 2008.
  19. ↑ "Jim O'Brien Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on July 1, 2008. Retrieved November 22, 2008.
  20. ↑ "Frank Vogel Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  21. ↑ "Nate McMillan Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Nate Bjorkgren Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2021.

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