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.
Jason Frederick Kidd is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely regarded as one of the greatest point guards of all time, Kidd was a 10-time NBA All-Star, a six-time All-NBA Team member, and a nine-time NBA All-Defensive Team member. He won an NBA championship in 2011 as a member of the Dallas Mavericks and was a two-time gold medal winner in the Olympics with the U.S. national team in 2000 and 2008. He was inducted as a player into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In October 2021, Kidd was honored as one of the league's greatest players of all time by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
Detlef Schrempf is a German-American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Washington Huskies from 1981 to 1985, and was drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA) by the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 1985 NBA draft, with the eighth overall pick. He was an All-NBA Third Team member in 1995, a three-time NBA All-Star, the first European player ever to achieve this award, and the NBA Sixth Man of the Year twice.
William Laimbeer Jr. is an American former professional basketball coach and player who spent the majority of his career with the Detroit Pistons. Known for his physical style of play, he played a big part in the Pistons earning the nickname the “Bad Boys" in the mid-1980s before helping them win back-to-back NBA championships.
Leonard Randolph Wilkens is an American former basketball player and coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been inducted three times into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, first in 1989 as a player, as a coach in 1998, and in 2010 as part of the 1992 United States Olympic "Dream Team" for which he was an assistant coach. In 1996, Wilkens was named to the NBA 50th Anniversary Team, and in 2021 he was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. In addition, in 2022 he was also named to the list of the 15 Greatest Coaches in NBA History, being the only person to be in both NBA 75th season celebration list as player and coach. He is also a 2006 inductee into the College Basketball Hall of Fame.
Donald Arvid Nelson is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. Nelson is second all-time in regular season wins of any coach in NBA history, with 1,335. He coached the Milwaukee Bucks, the New York Knicks, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Golden State Warriors. After an All-American career at the University of Iowa, Nelson won five NBA championships playing with the Boston Celtics, with his number 19 retired by the franchise in 1978.
Hubert Ira Davis Jr. is an American college basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels men's team. Before his coaching career, Davis played for North Carolina from 1988 to 1992 and in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Dallas Mavericks, Washington Wizards, Detroit Pistons, and New Jersey Nets from 1992 to 2004. He holds the franchise single-season and career three-point field goal shooting percentage records for both the Knicks and the Mavericks. He is the nephew of Walter Davis, another former Tar Heel and NBA player.
Jennifer Dawn Boucek is an American assistant basketball coach for the Indiana Pacers, a former basketball player, and former head coach of the Seattle Storm. She was hired by the Storm on January 20, 2015, but terminated on August 10, 2017, as the team failed to meet the expectations that came along with the acquisition of consecutive top draft picks Jewell Loyd and Breanna Stewart. Boucek was previously the head coach for the Sacramento Monarchs from November 15, 2006, until July 12, 2009.
Brian Joseph Winters is an American former basketball player and coach.
Darrell Walker is an American college basketball coach and retired professional player. He is currently head men's coach at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Walker played in National Basketball Association (NBA) for 10 seasons, winning an NBA championship with the Chicago Bulls in 1993. He played college basketball for Westark Community College and the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Mark Craig Bryant is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is currently an assistant coach for the New York Knicks. As a player, he played collegiately at Seton Hall University from 1984 to 1988, and was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the 1988 NBA draft. Bryant played for 10 NBA teams during his career, averaging 5.4 ppg and appeared in the 1990 and 1992 NBA Finals as a member of the Blazers.
LaSalle Thompson III is an American former professional basketball player, who spent most of his 15-year career with the Kansas City/Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers. The 6 ft 10 in, 245-pound Thompson spent time at both the center and power forward positions during his playing career. He later served as an assistant coach for the Charlotte Bobcats, during head coach Larry Brown's tenure and for the New York Knicks during head coach Mike Woodson's tenure.
The Knicks–Pacers rivalry is a basketball rivalry between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The rivalry started in 1977 and quickly became one of the most bitter in NBA history. They met in the playoffs 6 times from 1993 to 2000, fueling a rivalry epitomized by the enmity between Pacer Reggie Miller and prominent Knick fan Spike Lee. Miller likened it to the Hatfield–McCoy feud, and The New York Times said in 1998 that it was "as combustible as any in the league". There is a mutual level of respect for both teams consistently demonstrating effort, grit, and physicality during each encounter.
The 1993–94 NBA season was the Pacers' 18th season in the National Basketball Association, and 27th season as a franchise. The Pacers would undergo several changes as the club hired Larry Brown as head coach, acquired Derrick McKey from the Seattle SuperSonics, and signed free agent Haywoode Workman in the off-season. In December, the team signed free agent Byron Scott, who won championships with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s. The Pacers got off to a rough start losing six of their first seven games, then later lost five straight in December leading to a 10–16 start. However, the team posted a 7-game winning streak between January and February, holding a 23–23 record at the All-Star break, and would play .500 ball until April. By winning their final eight games of the season, the Pacers were able to grab the #5 seed in the Eastern Conference and close out the season with a 47–35 record, fourth in the Central Division.
The 2004–05 New York Knicks season was the 59th season for the team in the National Basketball Association (NBA). During the offseason, the Knicks acquired Jamal Crawford from the Chicago Bulls. Early in the season, the team released Shandon Anderson after he had played one game; Anderson later joined the Miami Heat as a free agent. The Knicks played around .500 with a 16–13 start, but then lost 16 of their next 18 games. Head coach Lenny Wilkens resigned after a 17–22 start, and was replaced by assistant Herb Williams for the remainder of the season. The Knicks then lost nine straight games between March and April, finishing fourth place in the Atlantic Division with a 33–49 record, and failing to qualify for the NBA playoffs.
Timothy Mark Thomas is an American basketball coach and former professional player. He was a highly ranked prospect while playing at Paterson Catholic High School in his hometown of Paterson, New Jersey. Thomas played college basketball for the Villanova Wildcats and declared for the 1997 NBA draft after his freshman season. He spent thirteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks. Thomas serves as the head coach of the boys basketball team at Paramus Catholic High School in Paramus, New Jersey.
The 1990–91 NBA season was the Pacers' 15th season in the National Basketball Association, and 24th season as a franchise. In the off-season, the Pacers signed free agent Michael Williams. The Pacers would get off to a slow start with a 9–16 record, as head coach Dick Versace was fired and replaced with Bob Hill. Under Hill, the Pacers held a 19–27 record at the All-Star break, but played above .500 for the remainder of the season, posting a six-game winning streak in February, and finishing fifth in the Central Division with a 41–41 record.
The 1992–93 NBA season was the Pacers' 17th season in the National Basketball Association, and 26th season as a franchise. The Pacers had the fourteenth overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft, and selected Malik Sealy out of St. John's University, and acquired Pooh Richardson and Sam Mitchell from the Minnesota Timberwolves during the off-season.
The 1988–89 NBA season was the Mavericks' 9th season in the NBA. After reaching the Conference Finals last year, the Mavericks got off to a fast start winning 9 of their first 12 games, but after a 17–9 start, they went on a 7-game losing streak in January, and held a 24–21 record at the All-Star break. In January, sixth man Roy Tarpley was suspended indefinitely for violating the league's anti-drug policy; Tarpley was also out with a knee injury, only playing just 19 games.
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.
