When it comes to basketball franchises that have contributed the most to the sport and its history, the Indiana Pacers are often forgotten for their contributions. The Pacers debuted as an organization in 1968 with the ABA and in 1976-77, after the merger brought two leagues together into the NBA. After dominating the ABA with three championships, the Pacers and their fans have endured 48 seasons with no championship, one of the longest droughts in the NBA today.
Despite their lack of a championship in the NBA, it hasn’t been all bad. The team has made 27 playoff appearances in their 48 NBA seasons with an overall record of 1,890-1,907. Today, we honor the players who have helped mold the Pacers franchise into the historic team they are today using our GOAT pyramid format. This will strictly be based on what each player has done specifically for the Indiana Pacers while the team has been a part of the NBA, meaning no ABA players or awards will be honored. For those of you unfamiliar with our GOAT pyramids, here are the other NBA franchises we have previously covered:
– The Los Angeles Lakers All-Time GOAT Pyramid
– The Chicago Bulls All-Time GOAT Pyramid
– The Golden State Warriors All-Time GOAT Pyramid
– The Boston Celtics All-Time GOAT Pyramid
– The Detroit Pistons All-Time GOAT Pyramid
– The Miami Heat All-Time GOAT Pyramid
– The Houston Rockets All-Time GOAT Pyramid
– The Brooklyn Nets All-Time GOAT Pyramid
– The New York Knicks All-Time GOAT Pyramid
– The Milwaukee Bucks All-Time GOAT Pyramid
– The Denver Nuggets All-Time GOAT Pyramid
– The Orlando Magic All-Time GOAT Pyramid
Now that the rules and regulations have been laid out, it is time to get into the Indiana Pacers’ all-time GOAT pyramid.
Tier 5
Tyrese Haliburton, Chris Mullin, Antonio Davis, Roy Hibbert, Lance Stephenson, Jeff Foster, Travis Best, Herb Williams
Tier 5 is full of Indiana Pacers legends who have helped shape the franchise in one way or another from the 1970s until today. The first of these players on Tier 5 is the Pacers’ most recent All-Star selection, Tyrese Haliburton who joined the Pacers in the middle of the 2021-22 season. In 92 games with the Pacers, Haliburton became an All-Star last season and is averaging 20.2 points, 10.4 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. With only longevity with the franchise lacking, Haliburton is well on his way up this pyramid.
Chris Mullin played just three seasons with the Pacers during the twilight of his career from 1998 through 2000. During this time, Mullin averaged just 9.4 points per game but played a pivotal role in deep playoff runs including a trip to the 2000 Finals. In 1998 and 1999, Mullin averaged 9.2 points per game on 39.3% shooting from three as the Pacers consistently threatened the Eastern Conference.
Antonio Davis was originally a second-round pick of the Indiana Pacers in 1990. After three seasons overseas, Davis made his NBA debut with the team for the 1993-94 season. Davis would go on to play six seasons with the Pacers and averaged 9.0 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Davis is one of the great bench players in Pacers history and a key contributor to their success in the 1990s.
In seven seasons under his belt in Indiana, Roy Hibbert looked as if he were headed to all-time great status with the team from 2009 through 2015. In seven seasons with the Pacers, Hibbert earned two All-Star selections and an All-Defensive Team selection in 2014. Hibbert averaged 11.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game in his seven years with the team and helped lead them to back-to-back Conference Finals appearances in 2013 and 2014.
Lance Stephenson’s greatest moments as a member of the Pacers came from those 2013 and 2014 Conference Finals runs. Stephenson is best known for being a master agitator of LeBron James during those playoff trips. Stephenson played a total of seven seasons with the Indiana Pacers in his 10-year NBA career and averaged 9.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game on 45.5% shooting. Stephenson came alive for the Pacers during playoff time during his career and is one of the most unforgettable personalities in team history.
Jeff Foster is not a conventional pick for one of the best players in Pacers history but there was a reason they kept him around for 13 seasons from 2000 through 2012. Foster was a workhorse and hustled on the glass for rebounds rarely ever missing time on the court. In 13 years with the team, Foster averaged 4.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game but was a key piece off the bench for them for years.
In 1995, the Indiana Pacers made Travis Best their 23rd overall pick in the NBA Draft out of Georgia Tech. Best would begin his career with the Pacers for six and a half seasons from 1996 through 2002. Best became one of their best options off the bench during the 90s and 2000s, averaging 8.1 points, 3.8 assists, and 1.0 steals per game in those seven seasons.
The final member of Tier 5 for the Indiana Pacers is none other than Herb Williams. As a solid starter for the Pacers for eight seasons, Williams was a valuable scoring big man from 1982 through 1989. In his time with the Pacers, Williams averaged 15.0 points and 7.8 rebounds per game with only one trip to the NBA playoffs in 1987.
Tier 4
Detlef Schrempf, David West, Myles Turner, Vern Fleming, Domantas Sabonis, Jalen Rose, Derrick McKey
Tier 4 is when we begin to get into the more elite players in Pacers’ history. We start with the only player in team history to win a Sixth Man of the Year award with the franchise, Detlef Schrempf. In 1991 and 1992, Schrempf won back-to-back Sixth Man of the Year awards averaging 16.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game off the bench in those two seasons. In his fourth and final season with the team, he became an All-Star for the first time, averaging 19.1 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game on 53.6% shooting.
David West played four seasons with the Indiana Pacers from 2012 through 2015 as a big part of their back-to-back Conference Finals teams in 2013 and 2014. In those four seasons, West averaged 14.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game on 48.7% shooting from the field. West would go on to later win two NBA titles with the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018.
Myles Turner has been a Pacers lifer ever since they made him their 11th overall draft pick in 2015. In the nine-plus seasons he has been with the team, Turner has averaged 13.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game. He has won two league blocks titles as well despite never being named an All-Star, All-NBA, or All-Defensive Team selection.
Vern Fleming played 11 seasons for the Indiana Pacers from 1985 through 1995. Fleming averaged 11.7 points, 4.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per game over those 11 seasons with the team after he was named their 18th overall pick in 1984. Fleming’s 11 seasons with the team resulted in seven different trips to the playoffs including one trip to the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals.
Domantas Sabonis was dominant in his short five seasons with the Pacers from 2018 through 2022. Sabonis averaged 16.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 319 games played for the Pacers, earning back-to-back All-Star selections in 2020 and 2021. Sabonis was also a 55.0% shooter who led the team to the playoffs twice in five years.
Jalen Rose played over six seasons and 400 games for the Indiana Pacers from 1997 through 2002. In 2000, he captured the NBA’s Most Improved Player award averaging 18.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.1 steals per game as helped lead the team to the NBA finals against the Lakers. In his six seasons with the team, Rose averaged 14.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game.
The final member of Tier 4 in Indiana Pacers history is defensive stalwart Derrick McKey. From 1994 through 2001, McKey spent eight seasons with the Pacers, averaging 8.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game. He is one of three players in team history with multiple All-Defensive team selections, joining Metta World Peace and Paul George. McKey made seven playoff appearances with the team including four trips to the Conference Finals and one trip to the NBA Finals.
Tier 3
Danny Granger, Victor Oladipo, Mark Jackson, Dale Davis, Chuck Person
Tier 3 in Pacer history consists of numerous All-Stars and award winners. Starting things off, we have Danny Granger who hit his stride with the team during the 2000s and 2010s. In 2009 with the Pacers, Granger earned the Most Improved Player award and his only career All-Star selection averaging 25.8 points per game on 44.7% shooting. Granger spent a total of nine seasons with the team, averaging 17.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game before injuries cut his career short.
Victor Oladipo was an instant hit with the Indiana Pacers in 2017-18. In his first two seasons with the team in 2018 and 2019, Oladipo earned back-to-back All-Star selections with 21.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. He would win a steals title and the Most Improved Player award in 2018 as well. In three-plus seasons, he averaged 20.6 points per game on 45.1% shooting.
Mark Jackson is still the best point guard in the history of the Indiana Pacers, spending six seasons with the team from 1995 through 2000. Jackson averaged just 8.4 points and 8.1 assists per game during those six seasons but was a game-changer for them on their deep 1998 and 2000 playoff runs. Jackson ranks third in team history with 3,294 assists.
Dale Davis dedicated a decade of his playing career to the Indiana Pacers as well. From 1992 through 2001, Davis averaged 9.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game on 54.3% shooting from the field. Davis earned his only All-Star selection with the team in 200 with 10.0 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game.
The final member of Tier 3 for the Indiana Pacers is the only Rookie of the Year in team history, Chuck Person. After the Pacers made him their fourth overall pick in 1986, Person went on to win Rookie of the Year averaging 18.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game. Person would enjoy a six-year career with the team that saw him average 19.0 points per game overall and 6.3 rebounds. Person would shoot 48.1% overall and help lead the Pacers to four different playoff appearances in his time with the team.
Tier 2
Paul George, Rik Smits, Jermaine O’Neal, Metta World Peace
Every member of Tier 2 in Indiana Pacers history received serious consideration for Tier 1. Paul George was well on his way to becoming the GOAT of the Indiana Pacers during his younger days from 2011 through 2017. George would earn four All-Star selections in those seven seasons as well as Most Improved Player in 2013, three All-Star selections, and three All-NBA Team selections. In 2013 and 2014, he led the Pacers to back-to-back Conference Finals appearances as well.
Rik Smits is arguably the greatest center in Pacers history as far as the NBA is concerned. Smits spent his entire 12-year career with the Pacers from 1989 through 2000 averaging 14.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game. Smits earned one All-Star appearance in 1988 but was a key member of five different Conference Finals teams as well as one NBA Finals appearance.
Jermaine O’Neal is the best two-way player in Indiana Pacers history and I have no shame in saying that. During his time with the Pacers from 2001 through 2008, O’Neal became yet another member of the Pacers to win Most Improved Player honors in 2002. He would also go on to earn the most All-Star selections in team history with six in a row from 2002 through 2007 averaging 18.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game. O’Neal was blackballed due to the Malice at the Palace incident but remains one of the greatest players in franchise history.
The same can be said for Metta World Peace aka Ron Artest when he played with the Pacers from 2002 through 2006. His time in Indiana was easily the best of his career with 16.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game on 42.9% shooting. In his short four-plus years with the team, Metta World Peace won the only Defensive Player of the Year award in team history in 2004 as well as one All-NBA Team selection, one All-Star selection, and three All-Defensive Team selections.
Tier 1
Reggie Miller
Only one name belongs at the top of the Indiana Pacers all-time GOAT pyramid and that is Reggie Miller. As one of the greatest three-point shooters and clutch performers in NBA history, Miller gave his entire 18-year career to the Pacers from 1988 through 2005. Miller is the Pacers’ all-time leader in games played, points, assists, and steals as well as field goals made, three-pointers made, and free throws made. In 18 seasons, Miller earned five All-Star selections and three All-NBA Team selections averaging 18.2 points per game on 47.1% shooting overall and 39.5% shooting from three.
