The Indiana Pacers aren't among the oldest franchises in the NBA but they weren't a recent team to be added to league as well. In fact, it was first formed in 1967 and then joined the NBA in 1976 along with three other ABA teams.
So, the 2019-20 season would be 53rd season overall and 44th in the NBA.
MORE: History of the Indiana Pacers
That's a lot of history and along with that great players to have represented the franchise. In all those years, only four players have had the honour of having their jersey retired in the rafters:
George McGinnis - 30
Career averages with the Pacers (ABA & NBA): 19.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.8 steals on 46.2% shooting from the field.
Career highlights with the Pacers: 2 x ABA Champion, 1973 ABA Playoffs MVP, 1975 ABA MVP, 3 x ABA All-Star, 2 x All-ABA First Team, ABA All-Rookie First Team, and ABA All-Time Team.
George McGinnis was a huge member of the Pacers' ABA title runs. Of the three titles and four ABA Finals appearances, the 6-8 forward, in the first four seasons of his career, was a member of two championships (1972, 73) and three Finals appearances (1972, 73, 75).
From 1975 to mid-1979, McGinnis transitioned to the NBA. He spent three full seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers and then 1.5 seasons with the Denver Nuggets before being traded to the Pacers in 1979, this time while they were in the NBA.
MORE: Pacers' roster for the NBA India Games
He played out the final 2.5 seasons of his playing career in Indiana before retiring. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2017 which included the likes of Tracy McGrady, Bill Self, and Rebecca Lobo.
Reggie Miller - 31
Career averages: 18.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists on 47.1% shooting from the field in 1389 games.
Career highlights: 5 x NBA All-Star, 3 x All-NBA Third Team, 50-40-90 club (1994)
Reggie Miller represented the Indiana Pacers for all of his 18 years, which ranks in the top 5 for most seasons with one franchise in NBA history.
In those 18 seasons, the Pacers, had a losing season just four times and only missed the playoffs thrice in a highly competitive Eastern Conference that included Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls for a majority of the 1990s.
Arguably one of the greatest shooters in NBA history, Miller's 2,560 career 3-pointers were an NBA record at the time of his retirement but have since been passed by Ray Allen.
He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012.
Melvin Joe Daniels - 34
Career averages with the Pacers (ABA): 19.4 points, 16.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.6 blocks on 48.3% shooting from the field in 470 games.
Career highlights with the Pacers: 3 x ABA Champion, 2 x ABA MVP, 7 x ABA All-Star, 1969 ABA All-Star Game MVP, 1968 ABA Rookie of the Year, 5 x All-ABA selections, ABA All-Time Team, and ABA All-Rookie First Team
Melvin Joe Daniels played all of his career in the ABA including six seasons with the Pacers.
MORE: Pacers' coaching staff for the NBA India Games
He was a major part of their roster during their championship runs which included five ABA Finals appearance and three championships. His 9,528 rebounds are the most in ABA history.
Daniels was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012 along with Miller.
Roger William Brown - 35
Career averages with the Pacers (ABA): 18.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists on 47.1% shooting from the field in 559 games.
Career highlights with the Pacers: 3 x ABA Champion, 1970 ABA Playoffs MVP, 4 x ABA All-Star, ABA All-Time Team, 3 x All-ABA Team.
Roger William Brown was the first player the Pacers signed as a franchise in 1967. He spent seven of his eight seasons in the ABA with the Pacers, playing a huge role in their three title runs.
In 2013, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame by the Hall's ABA Committee.
Slick Leonard - 529
William Robert "Slick" Leonard was the coach of the Pacers' ABA team that won three championships.
He played in the NBA from 1956-63 for the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers and the Chicago Packers/Zephyrs.
He transitioned to coaching during his playing career. In fact, he was a player-coach during his final season with the Chicago Packers/Zephyrs.
He was the coach of the Pacers for 12 seasons from 1968 to 1980 with a regular-season ABA record of 387-270 (.682) and a record of 69-47 (.595) in the ABA Playoffs. In the NBA, he failed to lead the Pacers to the playoffs in four seasons and finished with a record of 186-264 (.413) in the regular season.
He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014.
For more updates and stories on the NBA India Games 2019, you can follow NBA.com's page dedicated to the historic event.
