Without her, there may not be an Indiana Pacers.
Star guard Tyrese Haliburton paid tribute to Nancy Leonard, the proclaimed “First Lady of Indiana basketball,” who died Wednesday at the age of 93.
“Before every game, I knew I could count on a wink and a smile behind the bench,” Haliburton said in an X post Wednesday morning.
“There is no Pacers basketball without Nancy Leonard. Can’t wait to see the day her name is in the rafters where it belongs. RIP to a legend and a beautiful soul.”
Leonard and her husband, Bobby “Slick” Leonard, who died four years ago, are credited with saving Pacers basketball dating back to the ABA days when the league and teams struggled to stay afloat.
She served as the team’s assistant general manager from 1976-80.
In 1977, Leonard saved the organization from economic collapse when she ran a season-ticket telethon broadcast on television.
“Quite simply, we would not be here without her,” Pacers Sports & Entertainment ownership said in a statement. “From the earliest days of the franchise, Nancy poured her heart and soul into the team, not just as the wife of Slick Leonard, but as a female trailblazer who rallied the community when we needed it most.”
Former Pacer Scott Pollard, who played for the team from 2003-06, also paid his respects.
“Nancy was the first person to drive me around Indiana when I got traded there,” Pollard posted to X on Wednesday afternoon. “She was my realtor but became a friend. What a wonderful legacy her and Slick created. Indiana as a state owes them a debt that cannot be repaid.”
The Pacers made the NBA Finals last season and may have pulled the series upset against the Oklahoma City Thunder if not for Haliburton suffering a torn Achilles in Game 7.
Haliburton will miss all of the 2025-26 season as he rehabs his injury, while the Pacers appear to re-tool their roster after letting Myles Turner walk in free agency.