Indiana Pacers Gear

The birth of the Pacers was in 1967. Six investors decided to purchase a franchise for the American Basketball Association. The investors decided on the name Pacers with the help of ones wife. Now they had to figure out whether it would be the Indiana Pacers or the Indianapolis Pacers. The decided on the Indiana Pacers because the original plan was for the team to travel throughout the state.

During the years of the ABA the Pacers won for championships. By 1976 the ABA ceased to exist and the Pacers went to the NBA. The team struggled in the NBA during its first few years. They also were short on cash compared to the other teams that came over from the ABA. The fans didn't show up and they had a losing team. The Pacers didn't help themselves with bad trades.

In 1987 the Pacers drafted Reggie Miller. In 1989 the Pacers traded to get Detlef Schrempf. By the 1990 season Reggie Miller was the first Pacer to make the All Star Game since 1976. For the next few seasons the Pacers coasted through getting into the playoffs but never making it out of the first round. Reggie, Sam Mitchell and Pooh Richardson were all about to break through.

In 1994 the Pacers hired a new coach. Larry Brown joined Indiana. They also traded Schrempf for Derrick Mckey. That year they made it to the Eastern Conference Finals.
For the 1997 season the Pacers hired a new coach. Larry Bird joined the Pacers organization. By 2000 they made it all the way to the Championship Game. The years that followed would be rebuilding seasons. Their good 2004 season was derailed when a brawl broke out in Detroit. The aftermath left Jermaine O'Neal, Stephen Jackson, and Anthony Johnson were suspended for considerable amount of games. Ron Artest was suspended for the entire season. In the years have followed the Pacers continue to rebuild. Jermaine O'Neal has been traded to the Raptors for TJ Ford and others.