Pacers

Fans should love wearing the new short-sleeve jersey more than the players do.

On the latest leg of his first tour in six years, Justin Timberlake is in Indy for a concert stop and took in some Pacers-Heat action during his downtime.

While a clunky read at times, Leonard’s biography serves as a good introduction to the history of Indiana basketball.

A designer-jewelry pop-up, new leather goods from a local artisan, and a Pacers-Beatles mashup.

Here’s a look at the closing scenes and sayings from this great Pacers season, from a year in which we all learned to love them again. Indiana fans won’t soon forget the personalities of these athletes—and the same holds true for Roy Hibbert’s block of the Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony.

Editor’s Note, Feb. 15, 2013: The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame will announce the finalists for its Class of 2013 inductees today, and Pacers broadcaster Bobby “Slick” Leonard is one of the contenders. The following originally appeared among IM’s “23 Reasons to Love the Pacers—Again!” in the November 2012 print edition.

But what about our pro basketball franchise? Don’t you remember? The one born here 45 years ago on little more than a few dollars and a big dream? The one that helped Indianapolis elbow its way into national consideration as a sports town by winning three ABA titles in a span of four years? The one whose success spurred the construction of Market Square Arena, the retro-classic Fieldhouse—regarded by many as the finest basketball venue in the country—and, ultimately, downtown revitalization?

EVAN WEST: Why did you and brother Mel decide to purchase the club?

There’s a lot of chirping going on today over the new Twitter logo, a similar version of the old blue bird. If you ask us, it looks like the bird just got a buzz cut and a dye job, but one of the more intentional changes is the creature’s new upward flight path. Twitter has some deep thoughts about the graphical tweak—involving the words “hope,” “freedom,” and “possibility”— but we’re more concerned about the fate of the famous logo’s Indianapolis DNA.

Editor’s Note: Indiana Pacers hero Reggie Miller was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on April 2. Here, his cover story from IM‘s April 2005 issue. (See the companion Q&A piece here.)   He got to start a game in high school only after another boy showed up with the wrong uniform. He got […]