Indiana Pacers: Ranking the Best Players by Position in Team History

It was one of those strange but true facts: Despite the basketball-mad reputation of Indiana, Indianapolis took awhile to find success as a professional basketball city.

The Indianapolis Kautskys played in the old National Basketball League for three seasons, 1937-38 through 1939-40, never finishing better than .500 and closing down for the 1940-41 season. The Kautskys were back in 1941-42, made the playoffs, and shut down again. They made one last return after World War II in 1945-46 before finally folding for good after the 1947-48 campaign.

The Basketball Association of America tried in 1948-49, placing a team in Indianapolis and calling it the Jets. The team folded after one dismal 18-42 campaign, but the newly formed NBA was undeterred, launching the Indianapolis Olympians in 1949-50. The team made the playoffs every season, but folded anyway after the 1952-53 season.

When the American Basketball Association launched in 1967-68, though, Indianapolis was back in the pro basketball mix with the Indiana Pacers.

It took this time. The Pacers were the elite franchise in the ABA, making the playoffs in all nine seasons the league operated—the only franchise to do so—winning three titles and making five trips in all to the ABA Finals. The Pacers won their first ABA championship in 1970 and later won back-to-back titles in 1972 and 1973. Indiana also lost to the Oakland Oaks in the 1969 ABA Finals and to the Kentucky Colonels in 1975.

The Pacers were one of four ABA teams added to the NBA as part of the 1976 merger between the leagues. Indiana hasn’t enjoyed the same level of success in the NBA, making just one trip to the NBA Finals in 2000—a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers—since the merger.

In 38 NBA seasons, the Pacers have been a playoff team 21 times, including nine straight seasons from 1998-06. The longest playoff drought for Indiana was a five-year stretch from 1982-86, but it wasn’t until 1994 that the Pacers won an NBA playoff series, losing six straight times in the first round prior to their 1994 run to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The franchise set its record for wins in a season in 2003-04 when Indiana went 61-21, but the Pacers were upset in the Eastern Conference Finals by the Detroit Pistons. The low-water mark came in 1982-83, when Indiana struggled to a 20-62 record.

So who are the best players by position in the history of the Indiana Pacers?

NOTE: Players must have appeared in 250 regular-season games with the franchise to be considered for this list.

Small Forward: Roger Brown (1967-75)

One of the original Indiana Pacers, Roger Brown came to the team as the first player they signed. Brown, a New York City playground legend who was nicknamed “The Rajah,” played just one season at the University of Dayton before he was banned from the NCAA and NBA because of a loose association with noted gambler Jack Molinas. The NBA later paid Brown a cash settlement for the wrongful punishment.

The Pacers signed Brown at the recommendation of one-time Indianapolis prep legend Oscar Robertson and they weren’t disappointed. Despite being 25 by the time he began his pro career, Brown was one of the ABA’s biggest stars. He was a four-time All-Star and made three All-ABA teams, including the first team in 1970-71. He led the ABA with 9.8 offensive win shares in 1969-70. Brown averaged 18 points, 6.5 rebounds and four assists per game in parts of eight seasons in Indiana.

Brown is fourth in franchise history with 10,058 points and is also seventh with 2,214 assists and ninth with 559 games. His 18 points per game average is ninth in Pacer history.

Brown holds single-season team records with 3,495 minutes, 41.6 minutes per game and 13.3 win shares in 1969-70.

Here is a video tribute to Brown:

Brown played out his option and signed as a free agent with the Memphis Sounds in September 1974. He retired after the 1974-75 season and died in March 1997 at the age of 54. He was posthumously inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame this year.

Apologies to: Billy Knight, Danny Granger, Jalen Rose, Chuck Person.

Power Forward: George McGinnis (1971-75, 1980-82)

George McGinnis, an Indianapolis native, played one season at Indiana University before declaring himself eligible for the ABA Draft. The Pacers swooped in and signed McGinnis to a three-year, $150,000 contract—huge money for a rookie in that era—and were never disappointed.

McGinnis was the ABA Most Valuable Player in 1974-75 and was a three-time All-Star, earning All-ABA honors three times, including two first-team selections. He led the ABA in 1974-75 with 29.8 points per game and a 31.7 usage percentage and had the best offensive rebounding percentage in the ABA in 1971-72 at 12.6. His career 28.8 usage percentage in the ABA is the highest in league history.

McGinnis began and ended his career as a Pacer and in parts of seven seasons averaged 19.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. He was part of the Pacers’ back-to-back ABA title teams in 1972 and 1973.

He is fourth in franchise history with 752 steals and is also fifth with 5,219 rebounds and sixth with 9,545 points. His 19.6 points per game is the highest in Pacers history and he is also second with 10.7 rebounds per game and sixth with 1.8 steals per game. His 27.2 usage percentage is also an Indiana career record.

McGinnis holds single-season Pacer marks with 434 offensive rebounds in 1971-72 and 2,353 points and 422 turnovers in 1974-75. His 29.8 points per game average in 1974-75 is a franchise record, as well, along with his 25.1 player efficiency rating that season.

One of McGinnis’ memorable games was a 26-point effort against the Kentucky Colonels in the 1973 ABA Finals:

McGinnis left the Pacers in July 1975 to sign a contract with the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers. Indiana reacquired McGinnis in February 1980 from the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Alex English and a 1980 first-round draft pick. McGinnis’ career ended in October 1982 when he was waived by the Pacers.

Apologies to: Jermaine O’Neal, Clark Kellogg, Detlef Schrempf, Bob Netolicky.

Center: Mel Daniels (1968-74)

Mel Daniels featured on a 1972 Topps card.

The Indiana Pacers sent Jimmy Dawson, Ronald Kozlicki, a first-round draft pick and $75,000 in cash to the Minnesota Muskies in May 1968 to get Mel Daniels, the ABA’s Rookie of the Year and first-team All-ABA center. The Muskies, who were moving to Miami, needed cash to pay off debts. It was one of the best deals the Pacers ever made.

Daniels went on two win two ABA Most Valuable Player awards in 1968-69 and 1970-71 and was a six-time All-Star and four-time All-ABA selection as a Pacer, three times named to the first team, and led the Pacers to three ABA titles. He twice led the ABA in rebounding, with 16.5 per game in 1968-69 and 18 per game in 1970-71. He led the ABA in defensive rebound percentage with 27.1 in 1971-72 and four times led the league in total rebound percentage as a Pacer. He wound up the ABA’s career leader in rebounds with 9.494.

In six seasons with Indiana, Daniels averaged 19.4 points and 16 rebounds per game.

Daniels is also the top rebounder in Indiana history with 7,643 and is also ninth with 9.314 points. His 37.1 minutes per game is a team career record, as is his 16 rebounds per game average. He is second with 19.4 points per game. His 19.5 rebound percentage is also a Pacer record.

Daniels is also the Indiana single-season record holder with 1,475 rebounds and 18 rebounds per game in 1970-71 and his 21.7 rebound percentage in 1969-70 is a team record, as well.

Here are some highlights from Daniels’ career:

In July 1974, the Pacers traded Daniels and Freddie Lewis to the Memphis Sounds for Charles Edge and an undisclosed amount of cash. After playing a year in Italy, Daniels did play briefly in the NBA in 1976-77 with the New York Nets before retiring. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.

Apologies to: Rik Smits, James Edwards, Roy Hibbert, Herb Williams.

Shooting Guard: Reggie Miller (1987-2005)

Reggie Miller shown on a 1988 Fleer card.

The Indiana Pacers took UCLA swingman Reggie Miller with the 11th overall pick in the 1987 NBA Draft having no idea that the skinny kid from Riverside, Calif., would be the face of the franchise for almost two decades.

Miller played his entire career with the Pacers and was a five-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA selection. He led the NBA in 3-pointers twice (1992-93 and 1996-97) and was a five-time leader in free-throw percentage. He retired as the most prolific 3-point shooter in NBA history with 2,560, a record since surpassed by Ray Allen. His 88.8 free-throw percentage is ninth all-time. Miller also led the league in true shooting percentage in 1990-91 and 1993-94 and his career 61.4 mark in that advanced category ranks sixth in NBA history. Three times Miller led the league in offensive rating (1990-91, 1992-93 and 1993-94) and ranks second all-time with an offensive rating of 121.5.

Miller averaged 18.2 points per game in his 18-year career.

Miller is Indiana’s career leader with 25,279 points, 2,560 3-pointers, 4,141 assists, 1,505 steals and 1,389 games. He is also ninth with 4,182 rebounds. His 88.8 free-throw percentage is third in Pacer history while his 39.5 3-point percentage is fifth and his 18.2 points per game is seventh. He is also Indiana’s career leader with a 121.5 offensive rating and 140.4 win shares.

He also had some great playoff moments, none more memorable than his eight points in 11 seconds in the fourth quarter of Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks:

Miller opted to retire after he was waived by the Pacers in August 2005. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012 and currently works as an analyst for TNT NBA broadcasts.

Apologies to: Mike Dunleavy, Freddie Lewis.

Point Guard: Mark Jackson (1994-96, 1997-2000)

Mark Jackson came to the Pacers in June 1994 when he was acquired with Greg Minor from the Los Angeles Clippers for Eric Piatkowski, Pooh Richardson and Malik Sealy. The Pacers then traded Jackson to the Nuggets in June 1996, but realized their mistake and brought him back at the trade deadline in February 1997 along with LaSalle Thompson in exchange for Vincent Askew, Eddie Johnson and second-round picks in 1997 and 1998.

Jackson led the NBA in assists in 1996-97 while splitting time between Denver and Indiana, averaging 11.4 dimes a game, and his 48.2 assist percentage also led the NBA. He is third all-time in assists in NBA history with 10,334 and his 39.4 assist percentage is ninth in NBA history.

In parts of six seasons with Indiana, Jackson averaged 8.4 points and 8.1 assists per game and helped the Pacers to the 2000 NBA Finals.

Jackson is third in Pacer history with 3,294 assists and is the club’s career leader with 8.1 assists per game and a 42.5 assist percentage.

His 713 assists, 8.7 assists per game and 46.7 assist percentage in 1997-98 are single-season club records.

Jackson was featured on “NBA Inside Stuff” in this 1999 piece:

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Jackson played 17 years in the NBA. The Pacers traded him to the Nuggets in June 1996 with Ricky Pierce and a 1996 first-round pick in exchange for Jalen Rose, Reggie Williams and a 1996 first-round pick and he left Indiana for good in August 2000 to sign as a free agent with the Toronto Raptors. Jackson also played with the New York Knicks, Clippers, Raptors, Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets before retiring after the 2003-04 season. He spent several years as an NBA analyst for ESPN and has coached the Golden State Warriors since 2011-12.

Apologies to: Vern Fleming, Bill Keller, Johnny Davis, Jamaal Tinsley.