Rick Carlisle isn’t sounding like a coach who’s anywhere close to calling it quits.
In a wide-ranging conversation with Draymond Green, Carlisle was asked how much longer he plans to stay on the sideline, and his first response came with a little humor: "As long as I can keep dodging out of the way of you on the sidelines probably."
Then he got serious. Carlisle said, "Nobody wants to overstay their welcome.
I've got several more years on my contract. I still love it.
I've got an amazing coaching staff with Lloyd Pierce, Jenny Boucek, Jim Boylen, Isaac Yacob, Jannero Pargo, and a bunch of other great coaches."
He also made it clear that the day-to-day grind still feels right to him. "It's a pleasure to go in everyday.
Kevin Pritchard, Chad Buchanan, Ted Wu, the guys in that front office are great, and our players are great guys. I want to ride this as long as I can.
You go day to day with this and you don't count. You don't count wins, you don't count years, it all accumulates over time."
That mindset fits a coach who has already put together one of the longest and most respected runs in league history. Carlisle became the 11th coach in NBA history to reach 1,000 career wins last season, and this year will be his 38th season coaching in the NBA. He spent 1989-2001 as an assistant with the New Jersey Nets, Portland Trail Blazers and Indiana Pacers before moving into head coaching in 2001.
His first head-coaching job came in Detroit, where Joe Dumars and the Pistons gave him the opening. Carlisle took a team that was below .500 and got it to the second round of the playoffs, but Detroit moved on after that run and replaced him with Larry Brown. Carlisle then landed with Indiana.
That first stint with the Pacers went well in a hurry. In his first season, he helped push the franchise to a 61-21 record, the best in team history. But the aftermath of the Malice at the Palace changed everything, and the Pacers eventually moved on from him in 2007.
From there, Carlisle spent 13 seasons in Dallas and delivered the Mavericks’ only NBA Championship, knocking off LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh in their first season together in Miami.
His exit in Dallas eventually led him back to Indiana for a third time. The Pacers had just fired Nate Bjorkgren after a difficult lone season, and Carlisle stepped in to steady the franchise. His vision matched the front office’s plan, and the two sides committed to a two-year rebuild that brought in Tyrese Haliburton.
After falling one game short of the NBA Finals in 2025, Carlisle signed a multiyear extension with the Pacers. Even after an exercable season following that Finals run, the team and its coach are still pushing to get back deep into the postseason.
For now, Carlisle doesn’t sound like a man thinking about the finish line. He sounds like a coach who still believes in the work, still trusts the people around him, and still wants to keep building with Indiana.
In Other News...
Pacers GM Sends Clear Message On Braden Smith After Rough Summer League
Braden Smiths Summer League stint did not overwhelm anyone with production, but the Pacers left it viewing the rookie through a wider lens. General manager Chad Buchanan pointed to Smiths ability to create shots for teammates as a real positive, even if the numbers themselves were modest, and said the learning curve at point guard can be steep for first-year players trying to process the game at NBA speed.
Smiths next steps will come with the Noblesville Boom, where Indiana expects the development work to continue. Buchanans message was less about a finished product and more about a young guard still learning how physical he needs to be and how confident he can grow as a scorer, a process the Pacers seem willing to let unfold in the G League. [Read more 🡒]
Pascal Siakams Pacers Commitment Just Made Indianas Future Even Bigger
Pascal Siakams place in Indiana has gone from important to foundational, and the Pacers have every reason to treat it that way. After signing his four-year deal in 2024, Siakam has settled in as one of the key pieces around Tyrese Haliburton, giving the franchise a veteran presence to match its rising star and a clear signal that the organization is thinking bigger than just the next season.
The Pacers have two years left with Siakam on the current contract, and the teams ability to put a $207 million extension on the table only adds to the long-term intrigue. With Ivica Zubac now joining the mix to give Indiana a new core trio, the on-court ceiling looks higher, even if the cost of landing him included giving up a first-round pick. For a team trying to turn promise into staying power, Siakams commitment matters just as much as any move on the roster. [Read more 🡒]