The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded in 1967 as an original member of the American Basketball Association (ABA) and became a member of the NBA in 1976 as a result of the ABA–NBA merger. They play their home games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The team is named after the state of Indiana's history with the Indianapolis 500's pace cars and with the harness racing industry.
Nathaniel McMillan is an American basketball coach and former player who serves as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He coached the Seattle SuperSonics from 2000 to 2005, the Portland Trail Blazers from 2005 to 2012, and the Indiana Pacers from 2016 to 2020. Nate served as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks in 2021, before becoming the head coach from 2021-2023. He spent his entire 12-year NBA playing career with the SuperSonics, then served as an assistant coach for one-and-a-half years and as head coach for almost five years. His long tenure as a player and coach in Seattle earned him the nickname "Mr. Sonic".
George F. McGinnis was an American professional basketball player who played 11 seasons in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers, earning third-team All-American honors in 1971, before starting his pro career in the ABA with the Indiana Pacers. A three-time ABA All-Star with the Pacers, McGinnis was named the ABA Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1975 and won two ABA championships with the team. He was a three-time NBA All-Star with the Philadelphia 76ers. He was named to the ABA All-Time Team and inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Jamaal Lee Tinsley is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Tinsley played college basketball for the Iowa State Cyclones. Following his senior year, he was drafted by the Vancouver Grizzlies with the 27th pick of the 2001 NBA draft and was immediately dealt to the Atlanta Hawks, and then to the Indiana Pacers on draft night. Tinsley played 11 seasons in the NBA, primarily with the Pacers, as well as the Grizzlies and Jazz.
The 1980 NBA draft was the 34th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 10, 1980, at the Sheraton Centre Hotel & Towers, before the 1980–81 season. In this draft, 23 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 Boston Celtics, who obtained the Detroit Pistons' first-round pick in a trade, won the coin flip and were awarded the first overall pick, while the Utah Jazz were awarded the second pick. The Celtics then traded the first pick to the Golden State Warriors 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. An expansion franchise, the Dallas Mavericks, took part in the NBA Draft for the first time and were assigned the eleventh pick in each round. A player who had finished his four-year college eligibility was automatically eligible for selection. Before the draft, five college underclassmen announced that they would leave college early and would be eligible for selection. The draft consisted of 10 rounds comprising the selection of 214 players. This draft has the distinction of being the first NBA Draft to be televised.
Keith McLeod is an American former professional basketball player and current varsity boys basketball head coach at East Canton High School in Canton, Ohio. He is 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) tall. He has also played in the NBA for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors and Indiana Pacers, in the CBA for the Yakima Sun Kings, in the USBL for the Saint Joseph Express, in the NBA D-League with the Albuquerque Thunderbirds, Canton Charge, and Erie BayHawks, and in the Italian top league for Mabo Prefabbricati Livorno, Lottomatica Virtus Roma and Montepaschi Siena.
George C. Lee is a retired American basketball player and coach. A 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) forward/guard from the University of Michigan, Lee was selected by the Detroit Pistons in the fourth round of the 1959 NBA draft. He had a seven-year career in the NBA, playing two seasons with the Pistons and five with the San Francisco Warriors.
JaVale Lindy McGee is an American professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Nevada Wolf Pack and was selected 18th overall by the Washington Wizards in the 2008 NBA draft. McGee is a three-time NBA champion, having won consecutive titles with the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018 before winning a third title with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. The son of Olympic gold medalist Pamela McGee, he won a gold medal with the 2020 U.S. Olympic team.
The 1970 NBA expansion draft was the fifth expansion draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on May 11, 1970, so that the newly founded Buffalo Braves, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Portland Trail Blazers could acquire players for the 1970–71 season. Buffalo, Cleveland, and Portland were awarded the expansion teams on February 6, 1970. Houston was also awarded a franchise, but the group backing the team was unable to come up with the US$750,000 down payment on the US$3.7 million entrance fee that was required before the 1970 NBA draft. The Braves later underwent two relocations, moving to San Diego in 1978 and changing their name from the Braves to the Clippers, and then relocating to Los Angeles in 1984. They are currently known as the Los Angeles Clippers.
The 2001–02 NBA season was the 56th season for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association. This season saw the Celtics select future All-Star Joe Johnson from the University of Arkansas with the tenth pick in the 2001 NBA draft, but later on traded him along with Randy Brown at midseason to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Rodney Rogers and Tony Delk. The team also signed free agent Erick Strickland during the off-season. The Celtics struggled with a 5–6 start to the season, but then won 12 of their next 14 games, and held a 28–21 record at the All-Star break. They later on posted a 7-game winning streak in March, and won eight of their final nine games finishing second in the Atlantic Division with a 49–33 record, making their first playoff appearance since 1995.
The 1968 NBA expansion draft was the fourth expansion draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on May 6, 1968, so that the newly founded Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns could acquire players for the upcoming 1968–69 season. Milwaukee and Phoenix had been awarded the expansion teams on January 22, 1968. In an NBA expansion draft, new NBA teams are allowed to acquire players from the previously established teams in the league. Not all players on a given team are available during an expansion draft, since each team can protect a certain number of players from being selected. In this draft, each of the twelve other NBA teams had protected seven players from their roster. After each round, where each the Suns and the Bucks had selected one player, the existing teams added another player to their protected list. The draft continued until both teams had selected eighteen unprotected players each, while the existing teams had lost three players each.
Jordan Craig Hill is an American former professional basketball player.
The 2012 NBA draft was held on June 28, 2012, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time, and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. The New Orleans Hornets, who had a 13.70 percent probability of obtaining the first selection, won the NBA draft lottery on May 30. The Charlotte Bobcats and the Washington Wizards were second and third, respectively. This draft marked the first time that the first two players selected were from the same school. It also set a record of having six players from one school (Kentucky) being selected in the two rounds of the draft and was the first draft to have the first three selections be college freshmen all from the same conference. Bernard James was the oldest player drafted in an NBA draft, being 27 years old at the time of the draft.
The 1989–90 NBA season was the Mavericks' 10th season in the National Basketball Association. A year after missing the playoffs, the Mavericks received the eighth overall pick in the 1989 NBA draft, and selected Randy White out of Louisiana Tech, and later on fired head coach John MacLeod at the end of November, replacing with him Richie Adubato. However, things would not all go smoothly for the Mavericks as Roy Tarpley found himself in hot water again, as he was arrested in November for driving under the influence of drugs. The Mavericks played above .500 for the first half of the season, holding a 26–22 record at the All-Star break. As the season progressed, the team released Adrian Dantley to free agency; Dantley averaged 14.7 points per game in 45 games with the team. The Mavericks finished third in the Midwest Division with a 47–35 record.
The 1994–95 NBA season was the Mavericks' 15th season in the National Basketball Association. With the hopes of repeating history, the Mavericks brought back original head coach Dick Motta to restore a team that had compiled an awful 24–140 record over the last two years. The Mavericks had the second overall pick in the 1994 NBA draft, and selected Jason Kidd from the University of California. Meanwhile, former Sixth Man Roy Tarpley returned after being suspended by the NBA three years ago.
The 1988–89 NBA season was Indiana's 13th season in the NBA and 22nd season as a franchise. Despite finishing with a 38–44 record the previous season, the Pacers had the second overall pick in the 1988 NBA draft, and selected 7' 4" Dutch center Rik Smits out of Marist College. Before the season began, center Steve Stipanovich was out with a left knee injury, and would be sidelined for the entire season after undergoing knee surgery.
The 2001–02 NBA season was the 76ers 53rd season in the National Basketball Association, and 39th season in Philadelphia. The 76ers were coming off of an NBA Finals defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers, in which they won Game 1, but lost the next 4 games. During the off-season, the team re-acquired forward Sixers forward Derrick Coleman from the Charlotte Hornets in a three-team trade, acquired Matt Harpring from the Cleveland Cavaliers, acquired Vonteego Cummings from the Golden State Warriors, and signed free agent Derrick McKey midway through the season.
The 2000–01 NBA season was the Hawks' 52nd season in the National Basketball Association, and 33rd season in Atlanta. The Hawks received the sixth pick in the 2000 NBA draft, and selected DerMarr Johnson from the University of Cincinnati. In the off-season, the team signed free agent Matt Maloney, and re-signed Anthony Johnson after a brief stint with the Orlando Magic. Under new head coach Lon Kruger, the Hawks got off to a bad start losing their first seven games, but then posted a 7–7 record in December. In January, the team traded Johnson and Jim Jackson to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Brevin Knight.
