The Indiana Pacers' all-time lineup

Even without an NBA championship, the Indiana Pacers have a special history which includes three ABA titles that are just as valuable. The team has been in operation since 1967-68, so making an All-time lineup was no easy task, and it resulted in keeping 12 of the team’s 21 All-Stars off.

With respect to beloved franchise figures like Jalen Rose, David West, Rik Smits, Dale Davis and more, they were not chosen in large part because of this scribe’s preferred playstyle. Still, this lineup is built for speed and could be called the Showtime Pacers. Let's review.

Point Guard

There’s no better skill for a point guard to have than making their teammates better, and that’s Tyrese Haliburton’s best ability. It’s common wisdom that the greatest strength is the pass and he made the second-most per game (73.7) in the 2025 playoffs behind Nikola Jokić.

He controls the pace with up-court passes plus some pull-up treys, and can get by defenders without a screen in the half court to expose openings. He doesn’t commit many giveaways, either, logging a 3.72 assist-to-turnover ratio in Indiana’s 2025 Finals run, and is an effective player moving without the ball. The latter will come in handy next to the other great players with ball handling abilities.

There’s a lot of players in this all-time lineup, and Haliburton could be their closer based on his 2025 playoff credentials.

The backup point guard is Mark Jackson, who averaged 8.1 dimes in six seasons, was also excellent at taking care of the ball, and was the starter for the 2000 Finals trip. His post moves were a valuable skill, and he would use them against bigger guards, too.

Shooting Guard

For a while, Mighty Mouth Reggie Miller held the record for most 3-point makes all-time, since he attempted at least five per game in eight of his 18 seasons. He could also score without help very well inside the arc, too. He doesn’t get enough credit outside of Indiana for having a quick first step, even at age 34, when the team lost in six to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals.

In this lineup, he would be a nightmare for opponents in transition, catching quick feeds on the wings and corners. With this team’s strong offensive rebounding, he would be a huge threat in the half-court, firing on the second opportunities, aside from all the movement he’d be doing.

Off the bench, Paul George would come in to juice-up the coverages. Being a high-level athlete with a 6’ 11 wingspan is just the type of character needed to pester smaller ball handlers on the perimeter. Being the best player on two teams that made consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearances validates his case for the lineup

Small Forward

ABA legends are honored here. Roger Brown was a four-time All-Star and was the leading scorer for the team's 1970 championship, plus played a significant role in winning the other two. Don’t forget that the team’s first ABA ring was in his third season, and he averaged 28.5 points on a 50.3 effective field goal percentage (3.4 3-point attempts per game), with 10.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists in the playoffs.

Brown was known as “The Man With a Thousand Moves,” and one of them was tricking defenders with a mean fake. His playmaking would add much-needed versatility to this unit, particularly making Haliburton and Miller extremely dangerous off the catch in the half court.

Metta World Peace, formerly Ron Artest, only played 16 games with the team after his role in Malice at the Palace, yet his time is remembered for being one of the best defenders in the league during his tenure. He was a super-macho man and being able to guard up would let this team play small and swift against other all-time lineups.

Power Forward

George McGinnis was another ABA legend, who won back-to-back titles in Indiana in 1972 and 1973. He was a force on the glass, averaging double-digit rebounds in his first four playoff years with the team and was a great scorer at his peak. He averaged 32.3 points, with 15.9 rebounds and 8.2 assists in 18 playoff games in 1975, and was co-MVP of the regular season with Julius Erving.

Being built like a semi truck had its perks because it was hard to stop him without help as soon as he reached maximum acceleration. McGinnis had a nice one-hand jumper that would work seamlessly behind the high-level screening of this outfit.

After him is Pascal Siakam, which is a controversial choice, considering his 2.5 seasons with the team, but it included an Eastern Conference Finals and Finals trip consecutively. Dale Davis was almost picked, but the deciding factor was Siakam's offensive versatility. He’s another matchup problem, like someone 6 '5 or taller making boxing's super middleweight division.

So far through two deep playoff runs, Siakam has added to his game by becoming a mid-range weapon, making him an option to run inverted pick and roll sets.

Center

Mel Daniels was another one of the greatest ABA players ever, and was MVP in two of his first three years with the Pacers. He was the leading rebounder in ABA history and even had three seasons logging at least five offensive rebounds, which would be a big factor on this squad since there are so many threats.

According to former coach Hubie Brown, Daniels was the “mainstay that anchored the three championships for the Indiana Pacers.”

And the last spot goes to Jermaine O’Neal, who blossomed in Indiana as the NBA’s Most Improved Player and was third in MVP voting two years later. His strong post moves could be the hub that drives an offense down the stretch, since he established good positioning before receiving the pass and could get to his spot for a hook, turn over both shoulders and bust out for a layup or dunk.

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