Report: Pacers Hire Rick Carlisle To Be Next Head Coach

The Indiana Pacers have hired Rich Carlisile to be their head coach, ESPN's Tim MacMahon reports.

The Indiana Pacers have hired former Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle to be their next head coach, ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported on Thursday.

The article on ESPN from MacMahon can be read here, and the Tweet of the article can also be seen below form MacMahon.

ESPN story on Rick Carlisle returning to Indiana -- and his unsolicited endorsement of Jason Kidd to replace him in Dallas: https://t.co/aChp46tn2v

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) June 24, 2021

Sources: The Pacers are hiring Rick Carlisle as head coach. He will sign a 4-year, $29 million contract.

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) June 24, 2021

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski added more details on the hire in a post that can be seen embedded below.

Pacers worked quietly and quickly to get a deal done with Rick Carlisle. Team had planned to start interviews with several candidates in Chicago this week. Carlisle was a top assistant to Larry Bird early in his coaching career with Pacers. https://t.co/Hf1POaqEFp

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 24, 2021

Carlisle was an assistant coach for the Pacers from 1997-2000 and then was their head coach from 2003-07.

He's spent the last 13 seasons in Dallas as the head coach of the Mavericks and led them to the 2011 NBA Championship over LeBron James and the Miami Heat. 

The Pacers fired first-year head coach Nate Bjorkgren earlier in the month, and more on that can be read here.

Update:

The Pacers have formally announced the hiring and shared quotes from President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard (see two Tweets below from the team).

.@PacersKev’s thoughts on Rick Carlisle ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/zCVFV7CuzO

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) June 24, 2021

OFFICIAL: We have reached an agreement with Rick Carlisle to become head coach.

More info >> https://t.co/HLgU6gI0gd pic.twitter.com/xEZIhRvQPV

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) June 24, 2021

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