Best Indiana Pacers Player from Old Big East Programs

Best Indiana Pacers Player from St. John’s: Mark Jackson

Despite suiting up for the Knicks for the first five seasons of his career, Mark Jackson played parts of six seasons with the Pacers in the middle of the 1990’s heated rivalry between the two franchises.

His first stint with Indiana lasted two seasons from 1994-1996 where he played in all but one contest and was the starting guard for the Pacers’ trip to the Eastern Conference Finals in 1995.

Jackson was traded to Denver in June of 1996 for a young Jalen Rose and a draft pick that became Erick Dampier. The deal heavily favored Indiana as Jackson was traded back to Indiana just eight months later.

He helped the Pacers reach three more Eastern Conference Finals and the NBA Finals in 2000 before leaving for Toronto that offseason.

The floor general had a knack for finding the open man and nearly averaged more assists than points during his Pacers career. He tallied 8.4 points, 8.1 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per contest over parts of six seasons.

Jackson owns the third-most assists in Pacer history but has 10,334 for his career which is fourth-most in NBA history. Since retiring, Jackson has spent time in the broadcast booth and as the head coach of Golden State in the early stages of their mid-2010’s dynasty.

Honorable Mention: Metta Ford-Artest

Best Indiana Pacers Player from Temple: Lavoy Allen

A throw-in from Philadelphia in the infamous Danny Granger-Evan Turner trade, Lavoy Allen came to Indiana in February of 2014. He appeared in just 14 games that season and just four in the playoffs despite the pacers advancing to the conference finals.

His role grew over the next few years before his stats fell off in 2016-17 and forced him into the G-League. In 217 games with Indiana, Allen averaged 4.4 points and 4.6 rebounds.

Honorable Mention: Terrance Stansbury