Pacers, Rick Carlisle Agree to Long-Term Contract Extension

Jun 19, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle speaks to his players during a timeout in the second quarter during game six of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers have agreed to a long-term, contract extension with head coach Rick Carlisle, sources tell Marc Stein of The Stein Line. As Stein notes, Carlisle's 81 playoff wins are tied with Hall of Famer K.C. Jones (Carlisle's old Boston Celtics head coach) for the 10th-most in NBA history.

BREAKING: Pacers coach Rick Carlisle has agreed to a multiyear extension after coaching Indiana to last season’s NBA finals, @TheSteinLine has learned. pic.twitter.com/pGOnfjUBNc

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 19, 2025

Securing Carlisle for a good long while feels like a no-brainer for Indiana majority owner Herb Simon and team president Kevin Pritchard.

Rick Carlisle Has Helped Resurrect Pacers Basketball

In just four seasons since rejoining the franchise after successful stints with the Detroit Pistons and Dallas Mavericks, Carlisle has reinvented the Pacers' offense with an influential pace-and-space approach — on both sides of the hardwood — and has brought Indiana back to a place of relevance in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

The two biggest reasons for the Pacers' return to prominence in the conference, however, are All-Stars Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam. Haliburton is expected to miss the entire 2025-26 season recovering from an Achilles tendon rupture he suffered during the Finals.

Nominal shooting guard Andrew Nembhard will start at the point in Haliburton's stead, while reserve wing Bennedict Mathurin will be inserted into the club's first five as Nembhard's replacement.

More news: Pacers’ Rick Carlisle Highlights Player He Expects to Break Out This Season

Starting center Myles Turner is long gone, having abandoned the Pacers for the Milwaukee Bucks in free agency after spending his first 10 pro years with Indiana. Carlisle is looking to replace the 3-and-D full court athlete piecemeal, toggling his center minutes between Isaiah Jackson, James Wiseman and Jay Huff. Jackson and Wiseman are both recovering from their own Achilles tears.

Carlisle has brought the club to a pair of Eastern Conference Finals across the past two seasons, including a seven-game NBA Finals berth this past summer.

Across eight combined seasons with Indiana, first from 2003-07 plus now from 2021-25, Carlisle has notched a 338-318 overall regular season record followed by a 41-34 playoff record.

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Longtime Pacers beat report Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star provided more intel on Carlisle's new extension.

Updated story on Rick Carlisle's extension with more background: https://t.co/qEUs08ClIQ

— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) August 19, 2025

Carlisle had been signed to a four-year, $29 million contract initially when he first returned to Indiana, Dopirak reveals, meaning that an extension this summer was necessary.

His 995 career wins, meanwhile, rank 11th all-time. Among active coaches, the 65-year-old Carlisle ranks behind only Bucks coach Doc Rivers.

For more news and notes on the Indiana Pacers, visit Indiana Pacers on SI.