The Indiana Pacers have officially punched their ticket to the conference finals for the second consecutive year after completing their upset over the No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers.
Despite Indiana's overall lack of success in the last decade, this is not the only time recently they have made back-to-back conference finals as they also did so in 2013 and 2014. Though they were led by players like Paul George and Roy Hibbert, there were plenty of other key players who made those teams successful. This includes Pacers fan favorite Lance Stephenson, who many fans remember due to his energy and being a menace on the court.
Fortunately for Pacers fans, though he has been out of the NBA since the 2021-22 season, Stephenson has reportedly officially made his return to basketball. According to NBA insider Chris Haynes, Stephenson is joining The BIG3 for the 2025 season. While it is not the NBA, it will still be a welcoming sight for Pacers fans to see their fan favorite back on the basketball court.
Lance Stephenson is an all-time Pacers fan favorite
Stephenson spent 10 seasons in the NBA after the Pacers drafted him in the second round in 2010. Though he bounced around the league for a bit and played for numerous teams, he never spent as much time with one team as he did with the Pacers.
The Brooklyn native had three separate stints with the Pacers and played for the team on and off throughout his entire NBA career. His best season in the NBA was during the 2013-14 campaign as a member of the Pacers. That year, Stephenson started all 78 games he appeared in (not including 19 games in the playoffs). In those games, he averaged 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 4.6 assists while shooting 49.1% from the field and 35.2% from the three-point line. Furthermore, he led the league in triple-doubles that year with five (according to StatMuse, only 11 players that year had multiple triple-doubles).
Stephenson was a crucial part of two conference finals teams for the Pacers, but he also brought a lot of energy and heart, even when the team was not very competitive. He is not a candidate for the Hall of Fame or anything along those lines, but Stephenson was a unique player in his prime.
This is an exciting time for Indiana as they now have another opportunity to get back to the NBA Finals for the first time in over two decades. And following the latest news regarding Stephenson, things just became that much better for Pacers fans.