The Indiana Pacers have had a long and storied history between the NBA and ABA both. Let’s take a look at their 30 greatest players of all-time since the Pacers became a team in 1967.
Since their inception, the Indiana Pacers have seen a lot of success throughout the years. It makes sense why. Indiana is a state that’s obsessed with basketball. You’d be hard-pressed to find a driveway without a basketball hoop as you cruise around, or a high school gymnasium that isn’t stuffed to capacity during any given matchup.
Despite this deep-rooted Hoosier basketball pride, the Pacers themselves have still yet to finish an NBA season with a championship to their name. Sure, they have some titles from the ABA days, but that success in the past has yet to translate to the Larry O’Brien trophy ever having residence in the Circle City.
Regardless, the Indiana Pacers consistently play at a high, competitive level. They take great pride in playing with maximum effort night in and night out. Regardless of the outcome, one thing is certain; the Indiana Pacers just don’t quit.
This work ethic and style of play has led to many great moments in franchise history and has, in turn, resulted in the emergence of several standout players along the way. The 30 players that follow are guys that have embraced the culture of this organization and (for the most part) understand what Indiana basketball is all about.
So with the stage set, let’s take a look at the 30 greatest players to ever wear the blue and gold for your Indiana Pacers.
30. Chris Mullin
Starting things off, we have Chris Mullin, the man known for his flat-top hairstyle along with his ability to light up a scoreboard.
Mullin is an NBA Hall of Famer and would surely be much higher on this list if he had spent the majority of his playing time with the Indiana Pacers, but sadly for Hoosiers everywhere, this wasn’t the case.
Instead, Mullin spent most of his career with a different blue and gold team, the Golden State Warriors. Here, he was selected to a total of 5 All-Star teams in the Western Conference and put up 25 or more points per game in each of these 5 stellar seasons.
The Pacers acquired Mullin near the end of his career and had him for three of his final four seasons from ages 34 to 36. Despite his rising age, he still managed to be an important contributor to three excellent Indiana Pacers squads.
While with the Pacers, Mullin played a part in three straight Eastern Conference Finals appearances, culminating with an NBA Finals matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1999-2000. Even though the series didn’t go Indy’s way, it still capped off a very favorable three years of Mullin and the Pacers.
29. Bojan Bogdanovic
To this point in his career, Bojan Bogdanovic has only spent two seasons with the Indiana Pacers. Currently, he’s a member of the Utah Jazz, but since he’s still active in the NBA, it’s technically possible that he someday could return to Indiana and climb higher up this list.
For now, Bojan’s two years with the team were good enough to land him at number 29. It really says something for his talents to even make an all-time list like this with such a small number of years with the team under his belt.
Even though he wasn’t here long, Bogdanovic will likely go down as one of the best shooters in Pacers history. In year one with the team, he shot an impressive 40 percent from 3-point range. He then followed that up with a blistering 42.5 percent from distance the next season, good enough for 10th in the NBA.
But Bojan wasn’t just a shooter and could often surprise a defender by making a move to the hoop to either free up a teammate or create his own basket.
In Victor Oladipo’s absence during the 2018-2019 season, Bojan stepped up to lead the offense and logged 18 points per game, which kept the Pacers competitive on their way to a playoff berth.
Regardless of his short tenure with the team, Bogdanovic carved out a place for himself in the upper echelon of Pacers alumni.
28. Thaddeus Young
Like Bojan Bogdanovic, Thaddeus Young is another player that wasn’t with the Indiana Pacers for the longest period of time. He spent 3 seasons with the team before opting to join the Chicago Bulls in the summer of 2019.
Indiana gained Young’s services during the 2016 NBA Draft when the Pacers swapped a first-round draft pick with the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for his contract. The Nets went on to select Caris LeVert with this pick, while the Pacers gained a strong, veteran leader for their budding, young team.
Statistically, Young’s contributions aren’t completely eye-popping, but he did so many unsung things on the court for the Pacers that don’t always show up on traditional stat sheets.
His presence on defense next to Myles Turner in the frontcourt turned Indiana into a tough team to score against for 3 straight years. His quick and active hands created a high level of deflections, leading to many a steal and fastbreak score for Indiana.
Lovingly referred to as “The Glue Guy” by Indiana Pacers’ faithful the last few seasons, Thad Young was the constant, reliable competitor for this team his entire time here. A mainstay in the starting lineup, Thad played 74, 81, and 81 games at the starting power forward in each of his respective campaigns with the squad.
27. Bob Netolicky
In terms of championships, the Indiana Pacers have been much more successful as a team before they joined the NBA. Back in the days of the ABA, the team won 3 titles. Bob Netolicky was one of the most important pieces of 2 of these 3 championship runs.
An all-star in his first 4 years in the ABA, Netolicky was a dominant power forward for the blue and gold. In an era before the 3-point line, and before stats like steals and blocks were even being recorded, Netolicky was able to be one of Indiana’s most reliable anchors in the post in terms of scoring.
A 16 points per game career scorer, Netolicky’s best season in this regard came in his third year with the Pacers in 1969-1970. While the United States was landing on the moon, Netolicky was posting 20.6 points and 10.7 rebounds.
Netolicky bounced around to a couple of other teams in his career, but he still spent the overwhelming majority of his playing days in Indiana. It’s sometimes difficult to rank players from such different eras against guys from more recent teams, but Bob Netolicky could ball, bottom line, earning him a spot at number 27 on this list.
26. Clark Kellogg
Clark Kellogg was primed to go down as one of the 10 or 15 best Indiana Pacers players ever before some chronic knee issues cut his career short after just barely over 4 total seasons. Playing in the 80s, Kellogg wasn’t afforded the same medical luxuries as modern NBA players, so he had to hang it up at the young age of 25 years old.
Still, Kellogg definitely made his presence known league-wide during his short playing career.
He only played 70+ games in his first three years with the Pacers, but he was a borderline all-star in all of these seasons.
As far as points and rebounds go, Kellogg’s rookie season was his best at 20.1 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. His sophomore year wrapped up at 19.1 points and 9.1 rebounds, with his third season finishing at 18.6 and 9.4.
Clearly, Kellogg’s playing days got off to an amazing start in Indiana, but sadly, he was then afflicted with the ongoing knee issues that led to him only playing 19 games in year 4, followed by 4 games in year 5 before hanging up the sneakers for good.
Still, those first three seasons were good enough to land him on this list. It’s a true shame that Kellogg wasn’t able to play into what would have been the prime of his career in his late 20s. He’s one of the Pacers’ biggest “what ifs.”
25. George Hill
George “The Hometown Hero” Hill was born in Indianapolis, went to Broad Ripple High School on the north side, and stuck around the city when he went to college at IUPUI. Drafted by the San Antonio Spurs, Hill spent his first three seasons learning from Gregg Popovich before coming over to the Indiana Pacers in the now infamous trade that allowed the Spurs to draft Kawhi Leonard.
While some are still bitter to this day about this aforementioned trade, there’s no denying that George Hill was an incredibly important piece of the puzzle for the Pacers during the Paul George, Lance Stephenson, Roy Hibbert, and David West days. Hill stuck around Indy for 5 years, during which the team saw a great deal of success.
The Pacers’ two Eastern Conference Finals appearances in 2013 and 2014 were achieved in large part thanks to Hill’s leadership, solid play on offense, and above-average defense on the other end of the court. Hill was a very good shooter, putting the ball in the hoop from 3-point range from about 36 percent to 41 percent each of his 5 years with the team.
Hill caught some flack from fans for not always being as aggressive as they wanted him to be, and some felt like he was more of a shooting guard in a point guard’s body, but few players have been as consistent and important to the Indiana Pacers as George Hill was during his time here.
24. Derrick McKey
A totally defensive-minded wing, Derrick McKey was the embodiment of what you think of when you hear “Indiana Pacers basketball.” His skills on offense were largely limited in Indiana, posting single-digit points per game averages more often than not for the Pacers.
McKey, however, found other ways to shine and contribute for the Pacers. His tenacity guarding opponents was enough to land him on 2 All-Defensive second teams during his time with the Pacers.
He was also known for being a team player willing to do whatever it took to help his team get a victory. Truly, he was the exact type of guy the Pacers love to have on their rosters, and he stuck around town for 8 seasons.
While he was falling out of his prime at age 33 in the 1999-2000 season, McKey was still able to contribute a pretty meaningful nearly 20 minutes per game in 32 contests as the Pacers made their first and only ever run to the NBA Finals before falling short to Kobe, Shaq, and the rest of the Lakers in 6 games.
By no means was he the most important piece of the puzzle for Indy that season, but his veteran leadership surely played a larger role than the stat line showed that year.
23. Detlef Schrempf
German forward Detlef Schrempf is typically remembered more as being a member of the Seattle SuperSonics alongside Hall of Famer Gary Payton, athletic monster Shawn Kemp, and current Indiana Pacers coach Nate McMillan. However, before being a two-time all-star with Seattle, Schrempf also was good enough to snag an all-star selection during his 4 and a half year stint with the Pacers as well.
From 1988 to 1993, Schrempf was one of the Pacers’ most effective offensive weapons. During his all-star campaign with the team, he put up an impressive 19 points per game along with 9.5 rebounds and 6 assists, which is a very impressive mark for a power forward.
Schrempf was a Swiss Army Knife of sorts for Indiana and is arguably one of their best sixth men in franchise history. Although he wasn’t with the Pacers for an exceptionally long chunk of time, Detlef still remains a fan favorite and is definitely a bright spot in the team’s storied past.
Later on in his career with the SuperSonics, Schrempf developed into more of a shooter from range. If he would’ve had that skill with the Pacers, he’d be even higher on this list. Still, No. 23 all-time for Indiana is more than respectable.
22. Antonio Davis
If you watched a lot of Pacers basketball in the 90s, you’re likely a big fan of The Davis Boys, Antonio and Dale. Despite what the casual fan often thought, no, these two were not brothers. Still, the duo was beloved and was very important to the team’s success in the mid to late 90s.
While Dale clearly went down as the more prolific of the two players, that doesn’t change the fact that Antonio had a great career with the blue and gold in his own right. A beast of a player down low, Antonio Davis could bully his defender in the post to create trouble near the hoop and at the rim.
In general, Antonio Davis was an aggressive player than embodied the Pacers’ smashmouth style of basketball in the 90s. He spent the first 6 seasons of his career in Indiana before moving onto the Toronto Raptors where he was able to blossom even further on his way to an eventual all-star nod. Despite seeing more individual success later on in his career, he’s still a Pacers Great and will always be linked to his first team and his “brother” Dale.
21. Myles Turner
Here’s a name that you’ll more than likely see higher on this list in a couple of years. Myles Turner is still only 23 years old and is already important enough to be knocking on the door of the Top 20 greatest Pacers players ever.
From the same draft class as Kristaps Porzingis, Myles Turner is a unicorn in his own right. At nearly 7 feet tall, Turner is an absolute monster on defense while still possessing a dangerous offensive game as well. He’s improved his shot from 3-point range in each of his four seasons, with his career-best being the nearly 39 percent he shot in 2018-2019; a great mark for many players, let alone a center.
Myles has always been an exceptional shot blocker, which culminated in his league-leading 2.7 blocks per game in his most recent season. But it’s not all about shot blocking for Myles. His positioning on defense is fantastic, and he simply possesses a natural instinct for creating trouble for every single opposing offense in the NBA.
As Turner continues to hone his skills and grow into his prime, he and his supporting cast look poised to make some noise for years to come. If Myles sticks around Indiana long term (which seems likely with his recent contract extension), he could pretty easily find himself in the Top 10 for the Pacers when it’s all said and done.
20. Roy Hibbert
Before Myles Turner became his heir apparent, Roy Hibbert held down the paint for the Indiana Pacers. An old school, shot blocking, back to the rim type of big, Hibbert eventually got completely left behind by the modern NBA as he fell from grace and was unable to secure a meaningful role on a team. But prior to that, Big Roy was a monster.
A two-time all-star during his prime with the Pacers, opposing players on offense were downright scared to challenge Hibbert at the rim (looking at you, Carmelo Anthony). The paint became a black hole when Hibbert was in the game, which played possibly the largest role in the Pacers’ defense being one of the best in the NBA for several years during Roy’s tenure with the team.
During his heyday, Hibbert was a dependable option in the post to get a bucket, which gave him enough value along with his defensive prowess to vault him into the upper echelon of Eastern Conference big-men at the time.
Hibbert’s high level of play at the 5 was the anchor that gave Indiana the stability they needed to make three straight deep playoff runs during the era of the Paul George Pacers.
19. Freddie Lewis
A mainstay for the Pacers in the 60s and 70s, Freddie Lewis was a part of all three Indiana teams that won ABA championships during that time. Lewis’ excellent play in the backcourt for Indiana helped propel the team to victory on a regular basis and was a huge reason the Pacers were able to turn into somewhat of an ABA dynasty.
Thanks to Lewis’ consistent high level of play, he became the only player in basketball history to begin his playing days in the NBA, join the ABA for the entirety of its existence, and then return to the NBA after the NBA/ABA merger of 1976.
While he played for the ABA Pacers, Lewis made 3 all-star teams. He was a 20 points per game scorer twice for Indiana, was a solid distributor, and was also a very good rebounder despite his 6-foot-nothing frame with a career-high 5.8 rebounds per game in his sophomore season.
Some of these ABA guys can sometimes fly under the radar in terms of all-time greats discussions, but Lewis is definitely deserving of the Top 20 for the Indiana Pacers.
18. Jeff Foster
Jeffrey “Feisty” Foster spent all 13 years of his NBA career with his beloved Indiana Pacers. The Texas native had no ties to Indy prior to when he was traded on draft night to the Pacers via the Golden State Warriors, but Foster ultimately found a new, stable home once he arrived in the Circle City.
You can glance through his career stats and not see too much of anything that really jumps out. He had some solid seasons as a rebounder. Despite his near 7 foot frame, he could pass the ball well too. But besides things like that, an outsider might not totally understand what made Jeff Foster so important to this franchise for 13 whole years.
Truth be told, it was the totally cliche Pacers Basketball-type characteristics that made Foster an Indy legend. It was the grit, the hustle, the effort, and every other adjective you hear lobbed at players that people can’t quite put a finger on, but know they’re useful to their respective teams.
Jeff Foster has reached meme-levels of love and admiration in the Pacers universe, and his long tenure with the team and loyalty to his teammates and organization are partially why.
Everyone loves Jeff Foster.
17. Ron Artest
One of the most difficult players to accurately rank on this list is Ron Artest. Before he eventually became Metta World Peace, Artest had a very dynamic, short stint with the Indiana Pacers. Due to massive suspensions (thanks to his antics during the infamous Malice at the Palace brawl with the Detroit Pistons and their fans), Artest only really played about 2 and a half seasons’ worth of games in Indy.
But when he was able to stay on the court, there’s no denying the Ron Artest was one of the best Pacers ever. In fact, his 2003-2004 season with the team should go down as one of the best years any individual Pacer has ever put together.
In this 2003-2004 campaign, Artest was an all-star, the Defensive Player of the Year, and made the All-Defense team, as well as 3rd Team All-NBA. He put up 18 points per game to go along with over 5 boards, nearly 4 assists, and 2.1 steals. By all accounts, this was truly a special season for Artest; arguably the best of his long and tumultuous career.
Yes, Ron Artest had his issues. He’s Top 10 all-time in ejections (though so is Reggie Miller, to be fair).
He was a main driving force in one of the most embarrassing moments in NBA history that completely derailed an incredibly promising Indiana Pacers team. However, there’s no argument; Ron Artest was a beast when he was on the court.
16. Victor Oladipo
Some might say that since Kehinde Babatunde Victor Oladipo has only played one and a half seasons with the Indiana Pacers, he shouldn’t slot as high as No. 16 on this list.
Point taken. But sheesh, what a fun one and a half seasons it’s been.
You know the story by now. Oladipo came to town alongside Domantas Sabonis in the blockbuster trade that sent Paul George to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
At the time, pretty much everyone in the United States considered this to be an incredibly lopsided trade in OKC’s favor. Sabonis was an extremely raw prospect coming off a less-than-stellar rookie campaign, and Oladipo seemed like a possibly overpaid volume scorer destined to bounce around the league.
Thankfully, Victor proved everyone wrong. Not long into his 2017-2018 season, the league was placed on notice. This was a completely renewed and restored Victor Oladipo.
He could pull up from anywhere and hit a dagger jumper to win a game. He could get to the rim with explosiveness and control we had never seen from him before. He could lock down almost anyone on defense and led the NBA in steals. He pushed LeBron James and the Cavs to the brink of elimination in the playoffs, something no other Eastern Conference team even came close to doing that season (that darn missed goaltending call).
All of this led to his first All-Star selection, a Most Improved Player award, an All-Defensive team appearance, and a spot on 3rd Team All-NBA alongside Stephen Curry. And although his second season in Indiana was disappointingly cut short due to injury, he still did enough to earn his second All-Star nod regardless.
For completely reinventing himself into a star, for always leaving it all out on the court, for inspiring hope in a fanbase reeling from rejection, and for his unanimously agreed upon best singing voice in the NBA, Victor Oladipo is already approaching a Top 10 spot in the all-time Pacers greats list. He’ll get there, health permitting.
15. Vern Fleming
Like the aforementioned Jeff Foster, Vern Fleming is another guy that climbed this list partially due to his very long tenure with the team. Fleming played for the Pacers for all but one year of his 12 season career. Coming right out of the gates as a rookie, he quickly found himself in the starting lineup as a guard and made his presence known, dropping 14 points per game in his inaugural season.
His production scoring the ball more or less stalled from his rookie season on, but he found other ways to improve as he aged. He continued to shoot the ball better and better, and he developed some more useful playmaking and distribution skills as well.
Vern Fleming wasn’t incredibly flashy. He doesn’t have any awards of much magnitude to his name. He’s a player that many an NBA fan would never even recognize walking down the street. But for the Pacers, he was a guy that just put his head down and produced year after year for a long, long time.
No, he was never an All-Star like some of the guys that have already been mentioned on this list, but he stuck with the Indiana Pacers long term and made an impact for 11 whole seasons. There’s definitely something to be said about that.
14. David West
David West is synonymous with the Indiana Pacers teams of the early 2010s. It’s impossible to overstate how important he was to those teams that squared up with LeBron James and the Cavaliers year after year in the postseason. West was the backbone of the entire operation, and his hard-nosed, veteran leadership was often times what kept his teams together.
Though he only played 4 seasons with the blue and gold, David West is a Pacer through and through. His intensity and tenacity on defense were trademarks of his time on the court, and helped elevate Roy Hibbert’s game to new heights as well since he was such a reliable defender in his own rights.
Offensively, West was never the focal point, but seemed to be almost automatic from the top of the key whenever you needed a nearly guaranteed two points. He started every game he played for the Pacers, highlighting how good he really was. These were some amazing Pacers teams, so it was no small feat to hold down a starting spot in that rotation as long as he did.
Unfortunately, the Pacers were never able to advance beyond LeBron in the playoffs. As West aged, his desire for a championship grew with him. He ultimately decided to jump ship to chase championships elsewhere for less money. It paid off, as he finally was able to retire with 2 titles under his belt. But his time with Indiana will always be fondly looked back on.
13. Jalen Rose
Another member of the Indiana Pacers team that made it to the NBA Finals, Jalen Rose had a bit of a roller coaster of a 5 and a half year span in Indianapolis. Initially (unhappily) coming off of the bench, Rose had to prove he deserved minutes on the floor. Eventually, his patience paid off, and his career took a major uptick.
His third season in Indiana ended with the Pacers being crowned Eastern Conference Champions. Rose led the Pacers in points that season, outscoring the legendary Reggie Miller. In the following 2 years, Rose continued to grow in the scoring department and broke 20 points per game in both 2000-2001 and 2001-2002.
He became a solid scorer from range, and put the work in to become a better playmaker too, oftentimes setting his teammates up for an easy bucket. Rose wasn’t superstar-caliber in any one area, but he was very well-rounded.
A nearly perennial All-Star snub, Jalen Rose was at least rewarded with with a Most Improved Player award in the 1999-2000 campaign. He’s not as decorated as some others on this list, but he stuck around long enough and played at a high enough level on some incredibly competitive teams to deserve a No. 13 ranking here.
12. Mark Jackson
The Indiana Pacers have had their fair share of solid floor generals over the course of their history, but Mark Jackson is probably the greatest they’ve ever had overall. And no, he was never a perennial All-Star or threat to make an All-NBA team, but he was an incredibly consistent game manager-type that could be counted on to keep his team in a position to win night in and night out.
He spent time with Indiana over the course of 6 seasons, one of which, of course, was the Pacers’ NBA Finals appearance in 1999-2000. He was never a major scoring threat, but he didn’t need to be. Guys like Reggie Miller and Jalen Rose could pick up the slack in that regard.
Instead, Mark Jackson was an amazing distributor that always put his teammates in positions to succeed. In his 1996-1997 season, Jackson even led the entire NBA in assists with an incredibly impressive 11.4 per game. He also developed into a bit of a sniper from long range when he needed to be for the Pacers, shooting about 40 percent from 3 is his final season with the team.
Mama, there goes that man.
11. Billy Knight
Billy Knight is a guy that’s been around professional basketball for a long, long time. He’s been a front office executive for both the Pacers and Grizzlies. For several seasons after that, he became the general manager of the Atlanta Hawks during the Josh Smith days.
But before all of that, Knight absolutely dominated the ABA and NBA for a healthy amount of time. 8 seasons of his career were spent playing for the Pacers. He began as a rookie with the team in the ABA. In these 2 years before the ABA/NBA merger, Knight made an All-ABA team, an ABA All-Star team, and an All-Rookie team.
After the merger, Knight made the All-Star team in his first season in the NBA as well. Between these NBA and ABA All-Star seasons, Knight scored between 26.6 and 28.1 points per game. His ABA All-Star season was even more impressive, as he added over 10 rebounds per game to his high scoring output as well. Numbers like these would essentially guarantee Knight an All-Star appearance in the modern NBA as well.
Billy Knight is one of the best scorers in Indiana Pacers history, with his career low with the team being 12.3 points per game in the 1981-1982 season, which is still a healthy mark by most standards.
10. Danny Granger
8 and a half seasons of Danny Granger‘s NBA career were spent with the Indiana Pacers. Unfortunately, a fairly large chunk of his time with the team was plagued by injury, but when Granger was healthy and at full strength, he was a force to be reckoned with.
At one time, Danny Granger was one of the best two-way players in the game. He was no slouch on defense and could create matchup problems for his opponents, and he could absolutely light people up from anywhere on the offensive side of the ball too.
From long-range, Granger was a flamethrower, with several seasons ending in a 3 point percentage hovering around 40 percent or above. His points per game numbers are also impressive, with four seasons being right around 20 points or above, plateauing in his 2008-2009 season where he scored about 26 points a night and found himself on the Eastern Conference All-Star team.
In a move that is still despised by many, the Indiana Pacers eventually traded away Danny Granger to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Evan Turner, who never meshed well with the team at all. It was a move that seemed to destroy the team’s chemistry and is thought to be the canary in the coalmine for the ensuing downturn of the Paul George-era Pacers.
9. Chuck Person
Unlike some of the players that have already come before him on this list, Chuck “The Rifleman” Person was never an all-star. However, that doesn’t mean that Person wasn’t consistently a beast during his 6 seasons with the blue and gold.
For over half a decade, Chuck Person left it all out on the court in Indiana. He never averaged less than 17 points per game for the team, and maxed out at 21.6 points in 1988-1989.
Person was also pretty active on the boards, and he was solid at setting up his teammates for buckets as well despite being a forward.
Chuck Person definitely brought an intensity to the game night in and night out. To be sure, he was one of the most dangerous scoring threats in Indiana Pacers history, and deserves a spot in the top 10 of this list despite not having some of the accolades others before him were able to take home. Person was the NBA’s Rookie of the Year in his inaugural season, which is definitely something to be proud of.
8. Dale Davis
The other half of the Davis “Brothers,” Dale Davis was a force down low. He spent time at both the power forward and center positions during 9 consecutive seasons with the Indiana Pacers. This extended period of time with the team allowed Davis to become the Pacers’ leader in total rebounds (only counting the NBA) when his career with the team was all said and done.
By season 9, Dale Davis’ talents were recognized with his first and only All-Star selection in 1999-2000. This was also the season in which the Indiana Pacers made the NBA Finals, showing that Davis peaked at the absolutely perfect time.
Dale Davis is another type of player whose stats don’t necessarily jump off the page (except for his horrid free throw shooting), but he was a perennial double-double threat and was not a guy you wanted to test near the rim if you were an opponent on offense.
Dale and Antonio Davis epitomized the heart of Indiana Pacers basketball during one of the most successful periods in franchise history. However, Dale ended up being the stronger “brother,” landing him at No. 8 here.
7. Rik Smits
Indiana Pacers fans love loyalty in their players. Few guys in team history were as dedicated to the Circle City as one Rik “The Dunking Dutchman” Smits. Not only does he have arguably the coolest nickname of any Pacer ever, but he also spent all 12 of his NBA seasons with the team, helping him vault up these rankings from sheer longevity alone.
But Smits’ extended tenure with the Pacers isn’t the only reason he’s at No. 7 on this list. The 7-foot-4 center was a shot blocking, bucket getting beast with an awesome touch from the free-throw line for his size. He made an All-Rookie team in his first season and eventually earned the honor of All-Star in 1997-1998.
In this season, Smits scored nearly 17 points per game to go along with 7 boards. These aren’t crazy numbers, but his value on the defensive end buttressed with these numbers was enough to earn him his All-Star honors.
Rik Smits eventually retired after starting at center for 79 games in the 1999-2000 campaign, which of course, was the Eastern Conference Championship season for the Pacers. His loyalty to the team was sadly never rewarded with a title, but he and his teammates came closer than any other Pacers ever.
6. Roger Brown
There are still 3 players on this list that are the best ABA players in Pacers history, and we’ll start with Roger Brown, the 6-foot-5 forward from Brooklyn. Alongside George McGinnis and Mel Daniels, the Pacers had almost objectively the best frontcourt in ABA history.
This dominance from their forwards and center allowed Brown and the Pacers to take home 3 ABA titles. Brown also added 4 ABA All-Star appearances during this time and made 3 All-ABA teams as well. When it was all said and done, Brown was also named to the Basketball Hall of Fame and the All-Time All-ABA team, which is no small feat.
Roger Brown scored over 20 points per game in three seasons for the Pacers and was also a decent rebounder despite McGinnis and Daniels both having incredibly high rebounding numbers themselves.
Compared to his two Hall of Famer teammates we’ll see soon on this list, Brown didn’t quite have as impressive of a career overall, but he’s still clearly one of the best players to ever compete for Indiana.
5. Paul George
Around Indianapolis, the name “Paul George” can still bring some negative reactions out of the locals. He was a player the entire city rallied around as he navigated the waters of becoming a budding NBA star before he eventually made his intentions to leave the team in free agency clear, causing the front office to ship him to OKC for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. It was a tough situation.
But for now, throw all of that stuff out of the window.
The bottom line is that Paul George is without a doubt one of the greatest Indiana Pacers of all time. And sure, he’ll never climb to the very top of this list like he could have if he would have stuck around, but he did enough in his 7 seasons with the team to earn a top 5 spot.
When he was drafted, George was an incredibly raw talent, and seemed to be moderately redundant with Danny Granger’s role on the team. However, PG worked hard to carve out a spot for himself in the rotation before turning into one of the most explosive and dangerous two-way threats in the Association. He regularly had highlight-reel dunks on offense and could lock down literally almost anyone on defense.
George was a four-time All-Star with Indy. He also won the Most Improved Player award in 2012-2013, made 3 All-NBA third teams, an All-Defensive first team (and 2 second teams), and the All-Rookie second team. Clearly, PG’s career was off to an incredible start before he was traded away right as he was entering the prime of his career. The sky would’ve been the limit for Paul George in Indiana.
4. George McGinnis
The only other player besides “The Dunking Dutchman” and “The Rifleman” to be able to contend for “Best Nickname” for the Indiana Pacers would be George McGinnis. He held titles such as “Big Mac,” “Baby Bull,” “Big George,” and “McGinnis the Magnificent.” For a player to have this many nicknames, he better have the actual skills to back them up, and George McGinnis did.
To go along with all the nicknames, McGinnis earned plenty of other titles with the Pacers as well, including 3 time All-Star, 2 time ABA champ, 3 time All-ABA, ABA MVP, All-Rookie, All-Time All-ABA, and Hall of Famer. Sheesh.
To earn this many accolades and honors, George McGinnis put up some truly insane numbers. He was the ABA’s leading scorer in 1974-1975 with a monstrous 29.8 points per game. In his three best ABA seasons with the Pacers, McGinnis scored 25.9 points or more.
But it wasn’t just scoring. McGinnis was also a rebounding machine at his 6-foot-8 stature. In his best rebounding season for the Pacers, he logged an insane 15 boards per game. Over his career, he averaged double-digit rebounds 7 different times.
After the NBA/ABA merger, McGinnis took his talents to a couple of other teams before returning to Indiana to retire as a Pacer in 1982.
3. Mel Daniels
The last of the ABA icons on this list is Mel Daniels.
Like George McGinnis, “Big” Mel Daniels is another ABA Pacers legend that just has awards on top of awards. With Indiana, he was a 3 time ABA champion, a 6-time All-Star, made the All-ABA team 5 times, was an All-Star Game MVP, a 2 time ABA MVP, a member of the All-Time All-ABA team, and is also a Hall of Famer. Again, sheesh.
Over the course of his career, Daniels averaged an insane 18.4 points and 14.9 rebounds. The man was an absolute animal on the glass, and led the ABA in boards twice when he played for the Pacers. In 1968-1969, he had 16.5 rebounds per game. Then, two years later, he recorded an outrageous 18 rebounds per game.
Daniels was nearly unstoppable in the post as well, averaging up to 24 points per game at his peak. The ABA Pacers were a dominant force in the 60s and 70s, and Mel Daniels was the cornerstone down low that allowed the team to have so much success.
2. Jermaine O’Neal
In true Indiana Pacers form, Jermaine O’Neal somehow feels like he’s still one of the most underrated guys when people talk about the best players of the 2000s. For 6 consecutive seasons from 2001-2002 until 2006-2007, JO was an all-star in the Eastern Conference. He made All-NBA teams 3 times in that span as well.
The Pacers hold the record for largest number of Most Improved Players, and Jermaine O’Neal was one of them, earning that honor in the 2001-2002 season (Jalen Rose did it before JO, followed by Danny Granger, Paul George, and Victor Oladipo).
Even though Myles Turner could currently be gunning for this title, Jermaine O’Neal is still clearly the best shot blocker in team history, averaging over 2 per game in all 8 of his seasons with the team. O’Neal also averaged 19 or more points per game in his 6 all-star seasons. Truly, he was a killer on both ends.
1. Reggie Miller
Were you expecting anyone else?
Reggie Miller spent all 18 of his NBA seasons with the Indiana Pacers. Even up until he was 39 years old, he was still putting up 15 points per game. He was a cold-blooded clutch shooter and is responsible for one of the most iconic moments in NBA history where he single-handedly scored 8 points in 9 seconds to ice the New York Knicks in a playoff game.
His all-time Pacers rankings speak for themselves. He is Indiana’s all-time leader in games, minutes, points, 3 pointers, free throws, assists, and steals, just to name a few.
Aside from team stats, Reggie led the league in free-throw percentage 5 times. He scored 18 points per game or more in 12 seasons. He was a pest on defense, and a buzzsaw on offense. He’s a Hall of Famer, a 5-time all-star, a 3-time member of All-NBA teams, and Spike Lee’s worst nightmare.
In terms of all-time NBA ranks, he’s 10th in minutes played, 2nd in 3 pointers made, 12th in free throw percentage, and 21st in points. Not only is Reggie Miller undoubtedly the greatest Indiana Pacer of all-time, he’s also one of the best NBA players ever. Period.
So there you have it! The top 30 greatest Indiana Pacers players of all-time. These ranks will continue to change as the modern roster of Pacers leads the team into the future, so there’s a strong chance some new faces climb into the list soon. In the meantime, we hope this was a fun trip down memory lane remembering the best to ever do it for the blue and gold.