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Tyrese Haliburton Pens Sweet Tribute to the Late Pacers Matriarch Nancy Leonard

Leonard, whose husband was a former Pacers coach and general manager, died at age 93 this week.

Madison Williams

Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton wrote a sweet tribute to the late Nancy Leonard after the news of her passing released.
Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton wrote a sweet tribute to the late Nancy Leonard after the news of her passing released. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
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Nancy Leonard, the "matriarch" of the Indiana Pacers franchise, died at age 93 this week, her family confirmed on Wednesday. Leonard was married to former coach and manager Bobby Leonard, who died in 2021.

Leonard previously served as the Pacers' assistant general manager from 1976-80 while her husband was in the primary role. Although the Leonards stopped working for the team after 1980, the couple never fully stepped away from the Pacers organization. Mr. Leonard ended up being a color commentator for the team, and Mrs. Leonard continued cheering on the Pacers throughout her life.

Leonard was even most recently at the Pacers' NBA Finals run back in June. She made an impact on all the players, including star Tyrese Haliburton, who penned a sweet tribute to Leonard on Wednesday.

"The First Lady of Indiana basketball. Before every game, I knew I could count on a wink and a smile behind the bench. 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," Haliburton wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Haliburton posted a video of him hugging Leonard after the Pacers booked their trip to the 2025 NBA Finals, their first since 2000.

It's clear the Leonards meant a great deal to the Pacers organization and its players.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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