As one of the original ABA teams that joined the NBA during the 1976 merger, the Indiana Pacers have a storied history. That means an incredible number of players have come through the doors in Indianapolis over the years.
With decades of players, some are remembered and kept in the forefront of our minds as all-time Pacers. Others are often forgotten, sometimes only remembered as Pacers when we’re reminded that they spent some time with the team.
Though some of these players will likely be remembered by the most diehard of Pacers fans, many casual and younger fans may forget or not have ever known these players spent parts of their careers in Indiana.
Some had an impact on Pacers success, others did not. Some had widely respected NBA careers, just with other teams before or after coming to Indiana. Some have gone on to hold coaching or executive roles with other NBA teams around the league.
These are some of the often forgotten Pacers.
Pooh Richardson’s pit-stop with the Pacers
Pooh Richardson is most frequently recognized as a Minnesota Timberwolves player despite spending two-thirds the amount of time he spent in Minnesota as an Indiana Pacer. Richardson was Minnesota’s first draft pick in franchise history.
Richardson was traded to the Pacers after his third year in the league and went on to play for 111 games in Indiana over the course of two seasons. He would average 10.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 7.3 assists with the team.
Gerald Green was a Pacers dunk contest representative
After playing two seasons in Russia, Gerald Green signed with the Nets on two consecutive 10-day contracts, and then a contract for the remainder of the 2012 season. There was some substance in his first year back in the league, enough for the Indiana Pacers to sign him to a deal that summer.
In his one season with the Pacers, he averaged 7.0 points and 2.4 rebounds. He was an NBA Slam Dunk Contest participant that season.
James Posey’s final year with the Pacers
James Posey had one glorious season with the Pacers, his final year in the NBA. He played in 49 games with the team before he was amnestied.
That summer (2011), he was moved to Indiana in a massive four-team trade along with Darren Collison. In the same move, Trevor Ariza went to the New Orleans Hornets and Courtney Lee to the Houston Rockets.
Posey was no stranger to these busy multi-team trades. Earlier in his career, he was moved to the Miami Heat in a trade that also sent Antoine Walker and Jason Williams to Miami and Rasual Butler to New Orleans. There were a ton of other less important moving parts in that trade to make the financial aspect work.
He was being paid $7.5 million in his season with Indiana for 4.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 0.7 assists. The amnesty clause allowed each team to shed a large salary from their books, and Posey was the player Indiana chose.