Rick Carlise wins 251st game as Indiana Pacers head coach for NBA franchise record, second all time

With the Indiana Pacers win over the Miami Heat on Saturday night, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle now has 251 wins as the head coach for the franchise. That moves him up a spot on the all-time wins list for Indiana.

Carlisle passed former Pacers coach and now Phoenix Suns coach Frank Vogel, who sits at 250. If one were to just look at Indiana's time in the NBA and exclude their ABA days, that would make Carlisle the winningest coach in the team's history.

"What a great job he's consistently done adjusting to whatever team he has," Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley said of Carlisle's impact on basketball. Mosley was an assistant under Carlisle in Dallas for more than a half decade.

Bobby "Slick" Leonard won 529 games as the head coach of the Pacers, which remains the franchise record. That 529 number is retired by the Pacers. 387 of those victories came when Indiana played in the ABA, and the other 142 were NBA wins. Carlisle has less than half of Leonard's full total with the franchise but has passed him in the NBA portion of Indiana's history.

Carlisle is currently in his second stint as the man in charge for the Pacers. He was the head coach from 2003 to 2007, guiding the team to a 181-147 record at the time. After 14 seasons apart, Carlisle returned in 2021 and has gone 70-112 since.

He has been a critical figure in the blue and gold's ongoing rebuild. Carlisle's focused moments with young players has helped with their development, and Indiana has been a great landing spot for inexperienced players needing a fresh start. Aaron Nesmith, Obi Toppin, Jalen Smith, and Jordan Nwora have thrived, and grown, in that environment.

Carlisle also has grown as a coach when it comes to seeing the game through the eyes of star point guard Tyrese Haliburton. Their relationship has the Pacers ready to take off.

Recently, Carlisle picked up his 900th win as an NBA head coach. His resume includes a Coach of the Year award and a championship ring in 2011. He's not just near the top of the record books with the Pacers — he's near the top everywhere.

That's why Indiana extended his contract earlier this season. They're excited to have the right leader on their bench, and Carlisle has proven to be exactly that in recent seasons. He will continue to add to his Pacers win total as the season progresses, and his team next plays tomorrow night against the Boston Celtics.