There wouldn’t be an Indiana Pacers if not for Nancy Leonard and her husband, Slick. The duo literally battled for hours, sold tickets, and kept the Pacers alive in the darkest hours. Sadly, at 93, Nancy Leonard passed away, marking her place in the city’s history. The franchise ace, Tyrese Haliburton, touched on just what she meant to the Pacers.

“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💛,” he wrote on X.

Her charisma and allure were evident in how even the current Pacers players looked up to her. Despite her health concerns, she was present at the Pacers’ Game 6 victory in the NBA Finals. She shared a warm moment with Myles Turner. “You were there every step of the way,” the former longest tenure Pacers told Leonard. To her, she saw the franchise inching closer to the dream she and her husband, Bobby Leonard, had worked hard for. Even at 93, she was just as excited to see the Pacers’ success.

A seat behind the bench was always reserved for her. And she really personified the togetherness that is prevalent in the Pacers today. From doing unpaid jobs to being the first woman GM in the league, Nancy Leonard did it all.

Bobby and Nancy Leonard made sure Indiana celebrates basketball

The Indiana Pacers’ history would be incomplete without the Leonards. It might not even exist if it weren’t for them. Bobby Leonard is renowned as one of the best coaches in the organization’s history. His name is up in the rafters for winning three ABA titles, sparking the team’s golden age. Through all this, Nancy Leonard worked without a title, spoke to the players, and played a hand in setting the culture.

But the merger changed fortunes. The Pacers had poor finances. The fear was that the team would either have to relocate or sell the team. Nancy Leonard wasn’t willing to accept that outcome. That is when they came up with the ‘Save The Pacers’ Telethon.

It was only a grassroots movement, but one that brought the community together like a magnetic force. Leonard, who led a 13-person team, had only seven days to sell almost 3,000 tickets. Without that, the Pacers wouldn’t have had the working capital to stay in the NBA after just one season. They needed help from the public, and they didn’t disappoint at all.

The drive had performers to entertain the crowds, media outlets helped spread the message, and most of them did it without any cost, just for the love of the Pacers. Nancy Leonard recalled being emotional when she saw children running down the streets to collect whatever they could. Finally, barely 10 minutes before the telethon ended, they got the magical figure.

Now, Indiana sees that same joy through basketball. It is only a sport. But to that city, Nancy and Bobby Leonard used it to create a strong community that won’t break. That’s where history started. And although she didn’t see a championship from that point, watching the Pacers get to the Finals was a sight that allowed Nancy Leonard to witness what she was able to do.

She was a pioneer and will always be an unforgettable person in Indiana history.