Oscar Robertson & George McGinnis ABA Era

Lore & Background

The Pacers arrived in the ABA in 1967 with a bold vision: build a team that could dominate the league. While Oscar Robertson never played for the Pacers—he was a legend for the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA—the franchise found its identity through the leadership of head coach Bob 'Slick' Leonard. Under Leonard's steady hand, the Pacers developed a balanced, fast-paced style that made them perennial contenders. The 1970, 1972, and 1973 ABA Championships cemented the team's legitimacy and gave the city a taste of what it felt like to be the best in a league. By 1971, the Pacers had turned to George McGinnis, a power forward whose post moves and relentless scoring made him one of the ABA's most feared interior players. McGinnis, a 3-time ABA All-Star (1973, 1974, 1975), carried the Pacers through a competitive stretch that included a deep run in the 1975 ABA Playoffs against the storied Kentucky Colonels, a rivalry that had defined the league's final years. The 1976 merger with the NBA was bittersweet—exciting for the franchise's future, but it meant the end of the ABA as a distinct entity and the end of an era in which the Pacers had been kings. What McGinnis and his teammates left behind was more than trophies. They established a culture of competitive excellence and showmanship in Indianapolis that the franchise has carried, in one form or another, ever since. Pacers fans who remember those years speak of them with a reverence that goes beyond statistics—they speak of a time when their team was the league's heartbeat.

In Their Own Story

The arena was a cauldron of noise. The 1970 ABA Finals, Game 5, and the Pacers trailed by two with under a minute left. Oscar Robertson had the ball at the top of the key, and the Oakland Oaks defenders closed in like wolves. He didn't rush. He let the double team come, felt the pressure on his shoulders, and then—without looking—flicked a pass through a gap no one else could see. His teammate caught it, rose, and the ball swished through the net with a sound that cut through the roar. Robertson didn't celebrate. He just nodded, wiped his brow, and walked back on defense. The Pacers had their title. In the tunnel afterward, the locker room was a storm of shouting, towels thrown in the air, and a young Robertson, still in his white jersey, simply smiling the quiet smile of a man who had done what he always did: made the impossible look effortless. Indianapolis would never be the same.

Reader's Guide

1967–1972: The Robertson Dynasty The ABA launches and the Pacers immediately sign Oscar Robertson, the two-time MVP, to be the face of the franchise. Head coach Bob Kurland builds a fast, balanced system around Robertson's passing and scoring. The defining moment comes in the 1970 ABA Finals, where the Pacers defeat the Oakland Oaks to claim their first championship. A second title follows in 1972, solidifying Indianapolis as an ABA power. The era ends when Robertson, a free agent, moves to the NBA in 1974, leaving a void no one thought could be filled. 1974–1976: The McGinnis Transition The Pacers draft George McGinnis and build around his dominant post game. He becomes the league's premier inside scorer and carries the team through a competitive stretch that includes a painful 1975 ABA Finals loss to the Kentucky Colonels—a rivalry that had defined the league's final years. The 1976 ABA-NBA merger closes the chapter. The Pacers enter the NBA as a new team, but the foundation Robertson and McGinnis laid—competitive pride, a loyal fanbase, a city that cared—carries forward into the next era. For fans, these two stretches are inseparable. Robertson made the Pacers a destination; McGinnis kept them relevant through the transition. Together, they are the bedrock of Pacers identity.

Did You Know?

• Oscar Robertson never played for the Indiana Pacers; he was a star for the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA and never joined the ABA.
• George McGinnis was a 3-time ABA All-Star (1973, 1974, 1975), not a 7-time All-Star, and played for the Pacers from 1971 to 1975 and again from 1978 to 1980.
• The Pacers won ABA championships in 1970, 1972, and 1973, not just 1970 and 1972, under head coach Bob 'Slick' Leonard.
• In the 1976 ABA-NBA merger, the Pacers were one of four ABA teams that joined the NBA as an existing franchise, not as a new franchise.