Rick Carlisle has spent enough years around the Indiana Pacers to watch the franchise speak in two different languages at once: the one from the late 1990s, when Reggie Miller and Dale Davis were dragging Indiana deep into the playoffs, and the one now, with Tyrese Haliburton at the center of a new era.
Carlisle was on Larry Bird’s staff when the Pacers reached three straight Eastern Conference Finals from 1998 through 2000 and made their first NBA Finals appearance. He came back as head coach in 2003, coached Miller and Davis again, and later returned once more in 2021. Along the way, he’s become one of the clearest links between the franchise’s past and present.
That connection has been made easier because Indiana has made a point of keeping former players around. Alumni show up at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, take part in team events and talk with the current roster. Carlisle has embraced that approach, especially since so many of those former Pacers are players he coached himself.
"I love the way that our digital people involve the past generations," Carlisle said.
One of the clearest examples is the bond between Miller and Haliburton. The Pacers recently arranged a long conversation between the two, centered on their careers, playoff runs and what it means to play basketball in Indiana. Carlisle has watched that relationship develop from a distance and sees exactly why it matters.
"I've seen the stuff with Reggie and Tyrese," Carlisle said. "It's excellent."
Dale Davis has remained part of the picture, too. When he visited last season, Carlisle brought him in to speak with the team. Davis was never a big talker, and Carlisle said that was part of his value.
"He's not a guy of a lot of words to begin with, and that's one of the things that always made him such an intimidating force for the Pacers," Carlisle said. "If you had a situation where you had one defensive possession and you had to get one rebound, I don't know of another guy than Dale Davis that you would want to be in that position."
Carlisle called Davis a "battle-tested warrior for the franchise," and smiled while talking about him. He also still sees Derrick McKey at games, exchanges messages with Ron Artest and remains in contact with Jermaine O'Neal. Miller, now a television analyst, remains a familiar presence in Carlisle’s NBA life as well.
"I've always had great appreciation for all those guys," Carlisle said.
For Haliburton, the Miller connection has become something he still sometimes has to process. The Pacers guard said the relationship is special and admitted that even now it can feel unreal.
"It's a special bond," Haliburton said. "I'd be lying if I said it wasn't. I sometimes have to pinch myself and believe that it's a real thing."
He was reminded of that recently when a former math teacher messaged him about how far he has come.
"We never thought you would have made it to the NBA, look at you, you're there with Reggie," Haliburton recalled his teacher writing. "How amazing is that?"
That kind of moment has forced Haliburton to pause and take stock of where he is.
"There are times where I have to take a step back and see where I am in life," Haliburton said. "I can't believe it's even a real thing."
The relationship between Haliburton and Miller is not just about public appearances. Haliburton said they talk regularly, and Miller has become someone he can lean on for advice. While Haliburton was in Los Angeles, he returned the favor by speaking to Miller’s son’s football team.
Miller has also shown up during the harder stretches. Haliburton said one thing he has learned over the last 16 months is who reaches out to ask not only about his body, but about him as a person.
"Reggie's one of those guys who reaches out to me constantly, checks on me," Haliburton said. "I don't have any other word for it except it's just very special."
That may be the real payoff for Indiana in keeping old eras tied to new ones. Miller, Davis, McKey, Artest and O'Neal played for different kinds of Pacers teams, but their experiences still carry weight. Former players can come back to Indianapolis and pass along what they learned, while current players can hear from people who know exactly what it means to represent the same franchise.
For Haliburton, it has meant more than meeting a legend. It has meant turning one of the biggest names in Pacers history into a friend.
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