Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers were founded in 1967 as a charter member of the American Basketball Association, and they became the ABA's most successful franchise. Led by Mel Daniels, Roger Brown, and George McGinnis, the Pacers won three ABA championships in 1970, 1972, and 1973, establishing themselves as the dominant team in the upstart league.

The Pacers' style of play - physical, fundamentally sound, and built on Indiana's basketball heritage - resonated deeply with fans in a state where high school basketball drew larger crowds than professional games in many parts of the country. The ABA years gave the franchise a championship pedigree that few NBA teams could match.

When the ABA merged with the NBA in 1976, the Pacers were among the four teams absorbed into the established league. However, the transition was painful - the franchise was required to pay substantial merger fees and did not bring its ABA championship banners into the NBA record books. The early NBA years were lean, and it would take nearly two decades before the Pacers became legitimate contenders again.

Reggie Miller, drafted 11th overall in 1987, transformed the Pacers from a middling franchise into one of the Eastern Conference's perennial powers. Miller was the greatest three-point shooter of his era - a trash-talking assassin who lived for the biggest moments. His famous 8 points in 8.9 seconds against the Knicks in the 1995 playoffs, during which he hit two three-pointers and two free throws to steal a game at Madison Square Garden, remains one of the most legendary clutch performances in NBA history.

The Miller-era Pacers, coached by Larry Brown and then Larry Bird, were consistently among the best teams in the East. They reached the Eastern Conference Finals multiple times and finally broke through to the NBA Finals in 2000, where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. Miller's rivalry with the Knicks - and particularly with director Spike Lee, who Miller would taunt from the court - became one of the defining storylines of 1990s basketball.

Miller retired in 2005 as one of the most beloved figures in Indiana sports history. His ability to hit clutch shots, his fearless personality, and his 18-year commitment to the Pacers made him the embodiment of the franchise.

After Miller's retirement, the Pacers rebuilt around a new generation of talent, highlighted by Paul George - drafted 10th overall in 2010. George developed into one of the league's premier two-way players, a versatile wing who could score from anywhere and defend the opposition's best player. Combined with Roy Hibbert's interior defense and David West's veteran leadership, the Pacers became the main challengers to LeBron James's Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference.

The Pacers reached the Eastern Conference Finals in both 2013 and 2014, pushing the Heat to seven games in 2013 before falling. George's horrific leg injury during a 2014 Team USA scrimmage - a compound fracture that was feared to be career-ending - derailed the franchise's trajectory. Remarkably, George recovered and returned to All-Star form, but he ultimately requested a trade in 2017, moving to Oklahoma City.

The Paul George years represented the closest the Pacers came to an NBA championship since the 2000 Finals, and his departure began another cycle of rebuilding.