The Indiana Pacers have never won an NBA title, but that doesn’t make the franchise’s history any smaller. Three ABA championships still sit at the center of the story, and when it came time to build an all-time lineup, the choices got tight fast. Twelve of the team’s 21 All-Stars were left out.
This version leans into pace, skill and constant pressure. If you want a nickname for it, Showtime Pacers fits.
Tyrese Haliburton gets the nod at point guard, and the case starts with the simplest thing a lead guard can do: make everyone around him better. He finished the 2025 playoffs second in passes per game at 73.7, behind only Nikola Jokić, and kept Indiana humming with up-court passing, pull-up threes and the ability to beat defenders without a screen in the half court.
He also protected the ball well, posting a 3.72 assist-to-turnover ratio during Indiana’s 2025 Finals run. Add in his work without the ball, and he looks like the kind of closer this lineup can trust late.
Backing him up is Mark Jackson, who averaged 8.1 assists across six seasons and was the starter on Indiana’s 2000 Finals team. He took care of the ball, worked well from the post and could use those moves against bigger guards.
Reggie Miller is the obvious wing threat. He once held the all-time record for made 3-pointers, and he took at least five per game in eight of his 18 seasons.
He could score on his own inside the arc, too, and even at age 34 he still had the quick first step that helped Indiana push the Los Angeles Lakers to six games in the Finals. In this group, he’d be lethal in transition and just as dangerous on second chances, especially with all the offensive rebounding around him.
Off the bench, Paul George gives the defense another gear. His length, athleticism and 6’ 11 wingspan make him a problem for smaller ball handlers, and his case is backed by the fact that he was the best player on two teams that reached consecutive Eastern Conference Finals.
The ABA backbone is strong here. Roger Brown, a four-time All-Star, led the Pacers in scoring during the 1970 championship run and played major roles in the other two.
In the playoffs for Indiana, he averaged 28.5 points on a 50.3 effective field goal percentage, with 10.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists, while also getting up 3.4 3-point attempts per game. Known as “The Man With a Thousand Moves,” he brought a deep bag and a fake that could throw defenders off balance.
Metta World Peace also earns a spot, even though his Pacers stint lasted only 16 games after Malice at the Palace. During that stretch, he was still one of the league’s best defenders, and his ability to guard up gives this lineup the flexibility to go small and fast.
George McGinnis is another ABA giant in the mix. He won back-to-back titles in Indiana in 1972 and 1973, controlled the boards, and was a dominant scorer at his peak.
In 1975, he averaged 32.3 points, 15.9 rebounds and 8.2 assists in 18 playoff games, and he shared regular-season MVP honors with Julius Erving. Built like a semi truck, he was hard to stop once he got rolling, and his one-hand jumper would fit neatly with the screening in this lineup.
Pascal Siakam gets the next frontcourt spot, even though his Pacers resume is only 2.5 seasons long. The choice comes down to versatility.
His time in Indiana included an Eastern Conference Finals trip and a Finals trip in back-to-back seasons, and he’s become more dangerous from the mid-range, giving this group another option in inverted pick-and-roll sets. Dale Davis was nearly the pick, but Siakam’s offensive flexibility won out.
Mel Daniels rounds out the ABA presence. He was MVP in two of his first three Pacers seasons, led ABA history in rebounds and had three seasons with at least five offensive rebounds.
That kind of extra work on the glass matters in a lineup loaded with scorers. Former coach Hubie Brown called Daniels the “mainstay that anchored the three championships for the Indiana Pacers.”
The final spot belongs to Jermaine O’Neal. He found his stride in Indiana, won NBA Most Improved Player and finished third in MVP voting two years later. His post game gives this lineup another interior weapon, with the kind of footwork that lets him establish position, catch, turn either way and finish with a hook, layup or dunk.
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Tyrese Haliburton Just Got Called Out Over Pacers Respect Debate
Tyrese Haliburtons absence has already stretched deep enough into the Pacers future that even the details around his comeback are becoming a talking point. After recovering from the Achilles injury that ended his 2024 NBA Finals run, Haliburton is expected to rejoin Indiana next season, and the Pacers are building around the idea that his return, along with the addition of Ivica Zubac, can help push the team back toward contention.
The latest dust-up came from Chris Russo, who took issue with Haliburton questioning why his return game would not be on national television. Russos point was simple: Haliburton still has more proving to do before he belongs in the same broadcast conversation as the NBAs most iconic names, even if Pacers fans see his comeback as one of the leagues more compelling storylines. For Indiana, the debate is less about the TV schedule than the larger question of how quickly Haliburton can reclaim his place and lift the franchises profile with it. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers May Have One Playoff Edge East Contenders Can't Ignore
Indiana has quietly built a case for being a tough out in the Eastern Conference, even if it is not always grouped with the top tier of title favorites. The Pacers playoff path looks more favorable than it might first appear, especially when stacked against teams like the Knicks and 76ers, and that matters in a bracket where matchup dynamics can decide everything.
The Knicks have been a familiar postseason obstacle for the Pacers, and the history there gives this potential showdown extra weight for Indiana. Philadelphia presents a different kind of challenge, but the Pacers roster continuity gives them a level of familiarity that could pay off when the games tighten up, leaving one of the conferences more interesting playoff questions hanging over the final stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Jarace Walker Faces A Huge Pacers Test Before His Role Grows
Jarace Walker heads into the new season in a familiar but unforgiving spot for a young Pacers player with pedigree. The No. 8 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft is on an expiring rookie contract, and Indiana still sees a pathway for him if he can settle into a bench role and give the team the kind of reliable two-way minutes that matter once the games tighten.
For Walker, the assignment is less about highlights and more about proving he can defend with consistency, play with enough physicality, and knock down catch-and-shoot threes without needing the ball to be the center of his game. The Pacers have made their expectations clear, and how he responds this season will go a long way toward determining whether he is part of their core moving forward. [Read more 🡒]