Ranking the 11 greatest Pacers players ever, from Reggie Miller to Tyrese Haliburton

The Pacers aren’t afraid of the “small market” label; in fact, they embrace it.

Indiana prides itself on its development of players and ability to build a culture. Even through different eras, that process has typically resulted in both regular season and playoff success.

While an NBA championship still eludes the Pacers, plenty of tremendous players have passed through Indiana through the decades.

The Sporting News ranks the 11 best players in Pacers history, from Reggie Miller to Tyrese Haliburton.

MORE: Ranking the 11 greatest Knicks players of all time

Players were ranked based on a points system made up of nine categories. Points from a scale of 1-10 were assigned based on each player’s strength in a particular category and added up for a final score.

11. Danny Granger (2006-14)

Pacers accolades: 9 seasons; All-Star (2008-09); Most Improved Player (2008-09); 2nd in franchise history in 3-pointers; 9,571 points (6th in franchise history)

Why he made SN’s list: Injuries robbed Granger of becoming a long-term cornerstone for the Pacers, but he was one of the best scorers in Indiana history at his peak, in addition to adding solid value on the defensive end. Granger averaged north of 20 points per game in three seasons, including 25.8 in a breakout 2008-09 season, and he ranks sixth in franchise history in points despite only playing seven full seasons. Granger helped take the Pacers as far as the East semifinals in 2012. 

Place in Pacers history: While there wasn’t much winning happening in the late 2000s, Granger served as the bridge between the Pacers teams of the early 2000s and the Paul George era. He was one of the NBA’s top young scorers for a four-year stretch before knee injuries got in the way of a career that still places Granger within the top 11 in franchise history. 

MORE: Have the Pacers ever won an NBA Championship?

10. Billy Knight (1974-77, 79-83)

Pacers accolades: 8 seasons; 2-time All-Star; 10,780 points (3rd in franchise history); 1 ABA Finals appearance

Why he made SN’s list: Knight was at the forefront of the Pacers’ introduction into the NBA, earning an All-Star selection with 28.1 points per game in the franchise’s final ABA season and doing the same on 26.6 points per game in Indiana’s first NBA campaign. Like George McGinnis, Knight had two stints with the Pacers. He wasn’t dominant in his second stint, but he remained effective as one of Indiana’s top offensive options and still ranks third in franchise history with 10,780 points.

Place in Pacers history: Without a couple of stops elsewhere, Knight might rank higher in Pacers history, but his terrific offensive peak after Indiana’s dominant ABA run helped the franchise transition to the NBA. 

9. Rik Smits (1988-2000)

Pacers accolades: 12 seasons; 1997-98 NBA All-Star; 12,871 points (2nd in Pacers history); 5,277 rebounds (3rd in Pacers history); 1 NBA Finals appearance

Why he made SN’s list: A fan favorite who spent his entire 12-year career with the Pacers, Smits used his enormous size to his advantage and emerged as a dependable scoring and rebounding presence in Indiana’s frontcourt. The Dunking Dutchman was part of 10 playoff appearances in his 12 seasons, averaging 20.1 points per game during the Pacers’ run to the conference finals in 1995 and playing out the twilight of his career during Indiana’s run to the NBA Finals in 2000. Smits still ranks second in Pacers history in points and third in rebounds. 

Place in Pacers history: You can’t tell the story of the 1990s Pacers without Smits, who went to work offensively in the frontcourt for 12 years and was part of deep Indiana playoff runs, often going up against the likes of Patrick Ewing. Like Myles Turner, Smits’ long-term commitment to the Pacers endeared him to fans. 

MORE: Breaking down the Spike Lee-Reggie Miller rivalry

8. Myles Turner (2015-present)

Pacers accolades: 10 seasons; Pacers’ all-time blocks leader; Pacers’ single-season blocks per game leader; NBA blocks leader in 2018-19, 2020-21; 9,031 points; 4,349 rebounds; 2 conference finals appearances

Why he made SN’s list: Turner is as close to a Pacers lifer as the franchise has seen since Reggie Miller. The 2015 first-rounder played through trade rumors and stuck around for a decade (and counting) in Indiana, remaining one of the NBA’s steadiest big men. Turner led the NBA in blocks per game twice, set the Pacers record for blocks and averaged north of six rebounds per game each season outside of his rookie year all while consistently averaging double-digit points per game. Turner has been a part of eight Pacers playoff appearances, including two trips to the Eastern Conference finals.

Place in Pacers history: Turner hasn’t been the best player on his own team for most of his career, but his longevity and dependability in the Pacers’ frontcourt made him a fan favorite. A central piece of eight playoff teams, tying the Victor Oladipo era to the Tyrese Haliburton era, Turner is an essential piece to the story of the Pacers

MORE: How Tyrese Haliburton song ‘WTHELLY’ became Pacers anthem

7. Roger Brown (1967-75)

Pacers accolades: 8 seasons; Basketball Hall of Famer; retired jersey; 3-time ABA champion; 4-time ABA All-Star; 4th in ABA MVP voting (1969-70); 10,058 points (4th in franchise history)

Why he made SN’s list: Never the star of the Pacers’ ABA dynasty in the decade leading up to the merger, Brown still earned induction to the Basketball Hall of Fame for the unheralded scoring role he played in Indiana. A four-time ABA All-Star and three-time champion, Brown averaged more than 20 points per game in three of his seven seasons with the Pacers and more than six rebounds per game in five of them. Brown averaged 28.5 points and 10.1 rebounds per game during Indiana’s 1970 title run.

Place in Pacers history: The Pacers retired Brown’s jersey because he was an irreplaceable piece on some of the best teams in franchise history. While it can be tough to gauge players who didn’t play in the NBA, Brown’s offensive output and playoff success put him in Indiana lore alongside Mel Daniels and George McGinnis.

6. Jermaine O’Neal (2000-08)

Pacers accolades: 8 seasons; 6-time All-Star; 3-time All-NBA selection; 3rd in MVP voting (2003-04); Most Improved Player (2001-02); 4,933 rebounds; franchise leader in blocks per game; single-season franchise leader in blocks

Why he made SN’s list: O’Neal arrived in Indiana via trade as an unheralded 21-year-old, and he quickly validated the Pacers’ confidence by developing into a perennial All-Star center. O’Neal earned Most Improved Player honors in 2001-02, the first of six consecutive All-Star seasons and three consecutive seasons in which he averaged a double-double. O’Neal helped lead the Pacers to the Eastern Conference finals in 2004, also finishing third in MVP voting, and he remains Indiana’s leader in blocks per game at 2.4. 

Place in Pacers history: O’Neal wasn’t part of the Pacers’ trip to the NBA Finals, joining the team the following season, but he helped keep the window of contention alive for Indiana in the early 2000s. While perhaps best known for signing a seven-year extension that would become an albatross by the end, O’Neal was one of the NBA’s better big men for six of his eight seasons with the Pacers and was a catalyst during the best regular season in franchise history. 

MORE: Tyrese Haliburton-WWE timeline, including SmackDown stare-down with Jalen Brunson

5. Tyrese Haliburton (2022-present)

Pacers accolades: 2-time All-Star; 3rd-Team All-NBA (2023-24); NBA assists leader (2023-24); Pacers single-season assists leader; 2 conference finals appearances

Why he made SN’s list: Whether the Kings knew it or not, they gave the Pacers a new face of the franchise when they traded Haliburton for Domantas Sabonis before the deadline in 2022. Haliburton quickly morphed from a complementary piece in Sacramento into a focal point in Indiana, averaging double-digit assists in each of his first two full seasons as a Pacer to go along with back-to-back All-Star selections. One of the most efficient distributors in the NBA, Haliburton took the Pacers to the Eastern Conference finals in 2024 and 2025.

Place in Pacers history: Much of the book on Haliburton’s time with the Pacers is still unwritten, but the franchise’s hope is he can be their Steve Nash: a perennial All-Star contender who makes the players around him better with his playmaking ability and can score from all over the floor. 

MORE: Tyrese Haliburton buzzer-beaters and game-winners timeline

4. Paul George (2010-17)

Pacers accolades: 7 seasons; 4-time All-Star; 3-time 3rd-Team All-NBA; 3-time All-NBA Defensive Team; Most Improved Player (2012-13); 8,090 points; 2 conference finals appearances

Why he made SN’s list: Paul George didn’t stick around long-term like some other Pacers standouts did, making it clear after seven seasons that he wouldn’t sign a third contract with the team, but he spearheaded a successful era in franchise history before battling back from a gruesome leg injury. A four-time All-Star in Indiana, George was part of two conference finals appearances and averaged north of 20 points per game in three different seasons. After a broken leg knocked him out for almost all of the 2014-15 season, he recovered to have two of his best statistical seasons.

Place in Pacers history: George went down as a major success story for the Pacers’ development team, as he went from an unheralded late lottery pick to an All-Star within three years. While the ending wasn’t what Pacers fans wanted, George gave the franchise a homegrown young star who proved he could win in the playoffs. 

MORE: Inside the Pacers vs. Knicks playoff history

3. George McGinnis (1971-75, 80-82)

Pacers accolades: 7 seasons; Basketball Hall of Famer; retired jersey; 2-time ABA champion; ABA MVP (1974-75); 3-time ABA All-Star; Pacers’ single-season points leader; ABA points per game leader (1974-75)

Why he made SN’s list: McGinnis’ peak with the Pacers was short, as he only spent four seasons in Indiana before a return at the twilight of his career, but he made his impact felt by contributing to two ABA championships and winning the league’s MVP award with 29.8 points per game in 1974-75. That mark still stands as a single-season Pacers record, and it was one of three seasons of at least 25 points per game for the former Indiana Hoosier. 

Place in Pacers history: Had McGinnis’ peak lasted longer, he might have a case to be the best player in Pacers history. That’s out of the discussion with only four prime seasons in Indiana, but McGinnis developed from a rookie on an ABA championship team into a worthy face of the franchise and league MVP just before the merger. 

2. Mel Daniels (1968-74)

Pacers accolades: 6 seasons; Basketball Hall of Famer; retired jersey; 3-time ABA champion; 2-time ABA MVP; 6-time All-Star; Pacers’ all-time leading rebounder; ABA rebounding leader (1968-69, 1970-71)

Why he made SN’s list: Daniels only played during the Pacers’ ABA days, but he was one of the league’s dominant forces in the years before the merger. Daniels was a two-time ABA MVP and led the Pacers to three ABA championships, leading the league in rebounding twice in six seasons with Indiana. Though his time with the Pacers was relatively short-lived, Daniels is the franchise’s all-time rebounding leader.

Place in Pacers history: The Pacers don’t have NBA championships, but they do have ABA championships — and Daniels was a face of that era of dominance. A gifted rebounder who twice won the ABA’s highest individual honor while wearing a Pacers uniform, Daniels is regarded as one of the franchise’s early icons.

1. Reggie Miller (1988-2005)

Pacers accolades: 18 seasons; Basketball Hall of Famer; retired jersey; 5-time All-Star; 3-time Third-Team All-NBA; franchise leader in games, points, assists, steals, 3-pointers

Why he made SN’s list: Miller remains the most recognizable player in Pacers history, and not just because he spent nearly two decades in Indiana. He helped redefine the game as a 3-point shooter, retiring as the NBA record holder for most 3-pointers before he was surpassed by Ray Allen, and he helped take the Pacers to the playoffs 15 times with an NBA Finals appearance in 2000. Miller is the Pacers’ franchise leader in games played, points, assists, steals and 3-pointers.

Place in Pacers history: The Pacers know they aren’t a prime NBA destination, but Miller stuck with the franchise for his entire 18-year career and got them as close to an NBA championship as they have ever come since the NBA-ABA merger. Until some of his records fall, he is Mr. Pacer. 

MORE: The story behind Reggie Miller’s iconic choke gesture