10 greatest Pacers in franchise history, ranked

Yet another Pacer of that great 1990s era, Rik Smits stands above (almost) all the rest in the hearts of Pacers fans. In the second half of the front-court duo with Davis, Smits spent all 12 years in the NBA with Indiana.

Coming over from Europe before it was cool, Smits was consistently one of the most underrated players in the league. His respect among the players though was never in doubt. Shaquille O’Neal feared him more than almost anyone else at the beginning of his career.

Smits struggled with nerve damage in his foot for much of his time in the NBA. Ultimately he could have taken the Pacers to even greater heights with better injury luck. Although not discussed today, his injuries made the Laker’s three-peat easier than it could have been. He ultimately retired after 1999-2000.

Smits was only selected to one All-Star game, embodying the Pacers’ struggles to make it out of the shadows of their Eastern Conference rivals. Smits was by far the best Dutch basketball player of all time and a true Indiana Pacers legend.

4. Paul George

Maybe the most difficult player to rank on this list but one of the least surprising entries: Paul George. George has been one of the best players in the league for over a decade now. He first made his mark on the league as a Pacer as the 10th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. And he pretty comfortably has the best career in that class.

Despite big names like John Wall, Gordon Hayward, and DeMarcus Cousins all going in front of him, George and the Pacers found the most team and individual success. George made four All-Star teams and three All-NBA teams as a Pacer. Most importantly, he led the franchise back to relevance after a rough mid-2000s.

The Indiana Pacers teams led by Paul George were some of the only true challengers to the Miami Heat’s Big 3 era. The two teams faced off three straight times in the playoffs including twice in the conference finals. Unfortunately for George and the Pacers, they lost all three times.

George’s star power would only continue to rise in the years following those playoff battles, but the cast around him disappeared. George left for Oklahoma City in free agency in 2017.

3. Jermaine O’Neal

Maybe a bit of an emotional reaction to the recency of Paul George’s departure, but Jermaine O’Neal earns the third spot on this list. O’Neal arrived in Indiana via a trade with Portland, which also included the departure of Dale Davis. O’Neal was added just after the Pacers’ finals run to reload and keep them in contention.

Although the Pacers did not reach the heights of the 1999-2000 season again, O’Neal brought them close. All of his All-Star and All-NBA selections (six and three respectively) came as an Indiana Pacer despite numerous stints elsewhere after his time in Indiana.

O’Neal helped lead the Pacers to six consecutive playoff appearances culminating in back-to-back losses to the Detroit Pistons. While O’Neal is often remembered most for the Malice at the Palace incident, he is absolutely a Pacer all-time great.

2. Roger Brown

Roger Brown is our third and final ABA legend to make this list and the third out of four Pacers with their jersey retired. Like his teammates, Brown is on the ABA All-Time team, a four-time All-Star and three-time All-ABA player. He helped lead the Pacers to all three of their ABA titles, not to mention holding the second-most win shares in Indiana Pacer history.

Brown’s journey to the Pacers and the ABA generally was not what he wanted. Banned from the NCAA and NBA in 1961 due to “associations” with a known gambler, Brown ended up in the ABA instead. Brown certainly made the most of his time in Indiana. Although he wouldn’t live to see it, Brown entered the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017, joining teammates McGinnis and Daniels.

1. Reggie Miller

What else is there to say about Reggie Miller that has yet to be said? Miller is synonymous with the Indiana Pacers franchise. He is the only player from the NBA era to have his number retired by the Pacers. He played 18 years in the NBA, all with the Pacers.

While he only made five All-Star appearances and only three selections to All-NBA teams, his impact on Indiana, the league, and the game of basketball itself transcends any of that. His selection to the NBA 75th Anniversary team and a spot in the Hall of Fame further indicate that. He was the best shooter the league had ever seen at the time.

Miller is the franchise leader in nearly every shooting and scoring stat, not to mention assists. He also retired as the league leader in three-pointers made. Outside the ABA and Paul George eras, Miller was the engine behind every year of Pacer relevance.

The craziest stat that proves no other Pacer could ever hold the top spot on this list: no other player in Indiana Pacers history has played even half of the 47,619 minutes Reggie Miller did. Turner is the longest-tenured current Pacer, and he is at only 18,441 minutes in 10 seasons.