1967 ABA Founding

Lore & Background

The Pacers have won three championships, in 1970, 1972, and 1973, all in the ABA. They also reached the ABA Finals in 1969 and 1975, and have also appeared in the NBA Finals in 2000 and 2025. The team has also won nine division titles. Six Hall of Fame players – Reggie Miller, Chris Mullin, Alex English, Mel Daniels, Roger Brown, and George McGinnis – played with the Pacers for multiple seasons. The franchise has multiple Hall of Fame coaches in Bobby 'Slick' Leonard, Jack Ramsay, and Larry Brown. Furthermore, former Pacers inducted into international Halls of Fame include Miller and Detlef Schrempf in the FIBA Hall of Fame.

In Their Own Story

The lights dimmed at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum on October 13, 1967. The air smelled of popcorn, cigars, and the faint must of hay from the livestock pavilion next door. A crowd of 7,000 had gathered—farmers in flannel, factory workers in denim, and kids clutching pennants—to witness the birth of something new: the Indiana Pacers, taking the court for their first ABA game. The players, in their crisp red and gold jerseys, looked almost nervous as they warmed up under the glow of the arena lights. But when the ball was tossed, the nervous energy turned to fire. Roger Brown drove the lane, his first basket sending a jolt through the stands like a lightning strike. As the final buzzer sounded, the fans rose, their cheers echoing off the rafters and spilling into the cold October night. In that moment, Indiana had its team—and the team had its soul.

Reader's Guide

In early 1967, a group of six investors (attorney Richard Tinkham, John DeVoe, Chuck DeVoe, entrepreneur Lyn Treece, sports agent Chuck Barnes, and Indianapolis Star sports writer Bob Collins) pooled their resources to purchase a franchise in the proposed American Basketball Association. For their first seven years, they played in the Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum, although they did play select playoff games in various places, such as Anderson High School Wigwam for four playoff games (1969, 1971, 1972) and even Assembly Hall for two playoff games (1972). In 1974, they moved to the new Market Square Arena in downtown Indianapolis, where they played for 25 years. Early in the Pacers' second season, former Indiana Hoosiers standout Bob 'Slick' Leonard became the team's head coach, replacing Larry Staverman. Leonard quickly turned the Pacers into a juggernaut. His teams were buoyed by the great play of superstars such as Mel Daniels, George McGinnis, Bob Netolicky, Rick Mount, Freddie Lewis and Roger Brown. The Pacers were the most successful team in ABA history, winning three ABA Championships in four years. In all, they appeared in the ABA Finals five times in the league's nine-year history, which was an ABA record.

Did You Know?

• The Pacers were named after Indiana's history with the Indianapolis 500's pace cars and the harness racing industry.
• The Pacers won three ABA championships in 1970, 1972, and 1973.
• The team played its first seven seasons at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum before moving to Market Square Arena in 1974.
• Bob 'Slick' Leonard became head coach early in the Pacers' second season and led them to three ABA titles.