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The Indiana Pacers aren’t going anywhere on Herb Simon’s watch

By Ben Gibson

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - OCTOBER 19: Herb Simon, Owner and chief executive officer of Pacers Sports & Entertainment addresses the media as they announce a new partnership with Finish Line prior to Game three of the 2012 WNBA Finals on October 19, 2012 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - OCTOBER 19: Herb Simon, Owner and chief executive officer of Pacers Sports & Entertainment addresses the media as they announce a new partnership with Finish Line prior to Game three of the 2012 WNBA Finals on October 19, 2012 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Herb Simon told the Indy Star today that he plans to keep the Indiana Pacers in Indiana, and his son Steve Simon will eventually take over as the team’s owner.

Rest easy, Indiana Pacers fans: Herb Simon isn’t selling the team.

Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star reports that Simon is planning to keep the team in Indiana as long as he’s alive. Simon also announced that the team eventually will belong to Steve Simon, his 53-year-old son.

For the elder Simon, this is about his legacy.

"“I want to leave my legacy: this team permanently in Indianapolis,” Simon told IndyStar Friday in an interview at Bankers Life Arena. “That’s my No. 1 goal.”Simon bought the Pacers in 1983 with his older brother, Melvin – who died in 2009 at age 82 – but had never publicly discussed succession plans for the franchise until Friday, when he told IndyStar the team someday will be owned by his 53-year-old son, Steve. Behind the scenes, Steve Simon has been working closely with Pacers Sports and President Rick Fuson for five years – “He knows more about the dollars and cents than I do,” Herb said of his son – and met this week with several department heads.“If anything happens to me, he’d be taking over,” Herb said, adding that father and son are on the same page: The Pacers are staying in Indianapolis."

While the team’s lease at Bankers Life Fieldhouse runs out in 2024, Herb plans on working to extend the lease for 20 or more years so he can do as much as he can to keep his promise.

This is a big deal for the Pacers and the state of Indiana.

More from 8 Points, 9 Seconds

The loss of Paul George this summer prompted some to ask if the future of professional basketball in Indiana was in doubt. With today’s news, that closed the door on that possibility of them leaving in the near future.

Teams in smaller markets are always a threat to leave — or at least rich folks often set their sights on them in hopes of buying and moving the team to the city of their choice.

The Pacers leaving has been a real fear of Indiana Pacers fans for some time. Here at 8 Points, 9 Seconds, there is a draft for a post named “The Day We Hope Never Comes” from 2009. It has sat there, unable to be deleted, thanks to the fact all it would take was Herb wanting to cash out on a $11 million investment that is now worth $880 million according to Forbes.

Sure, there are ways the Pacers could get out of any lease and Herb’s son Steve has every right to sell the team once it belongs to him. But Herb is doing what he can to keep the Pacers in the Hoosier State.

Next: The Pacers were fun in that win, but...

Sorry Seattle, you’re going to have to look somewhere else for your next NBA team.

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