'It's so special to be a Pacers fan': Pacers owner Herb Simon thanks fans for support in NBA Finals season
"To the best fans in basketball — thank you. The way you showed up for our Pacers this season was unlike anything I've ever seen," the team posted on social media. "This team united our city and state, gave us memories for a lifetime, and reminded us all why it's so special to be a Pacers fan. I'm grateful to all of you for a historic and truly unforgettable season."
The Pacers took the season to the limit before losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder 103-91 in Game 7.
Simon, the 90-year-old Indianapolis-based shopping mall magnate, has owned the team since he and his late brother Mel bought it in 1983. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024.
Stephen Simon, Herb's son and next in line to run the franchise, thanked the team on social media.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Gilgeous-Alexander agrees record $285 mln extension: reports
Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has agreed a four-year $285 million contract extension, the richest per-year contract in NBA history, US media reports said Tuesday. Gilgeous-Alexander, who guided the Thunder to the NBA championship last month after a campaign that saw him win regular season and finals Most Valuable Player awards, is now tied to the club through 2031. Advertisement The 26-year-old Canadian point guard has two years remaining on his existing contract with Oklahoma City worth $79.1 million (67.2 million euros). The four additional seasons of his contract extension will see him receive $62.5 million, $68.6 million, $73.7 million and then $78.7 million in 2030-2031. The deal gives Gilgeous-Alexander the highest annual salary in the NBA, eclipsing the average $64.3 million salary of the Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid and the $62.8 million earned by the Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum. Gilgeous-Alexander was the fulcrum of the Thunder's dazzling 68-win Western Conference season, before inspiring the team to a 4-3 NBA Finals victory over the Indiana Pacers last month. Advertisement The Thunder ace averaged a league-high 32.7 points during the regular season and 30.3 points in the NBA Finals on his way to completing his MVP double. He became only the fourth player in history to win both NBA regular season and finals MVP awards as well as the league's scoring title, putting him into an exclusive club alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal. rcw/mw
USA Today
34 minutes ago
- USA Today
Sam Presti 'extremely excited' for contract talks with SGA, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren
The summer of a lifetime continues for the Oklahoma City Thunder. A little over a week after they captured their first NBA championship, the perennial contender could stay in those conversations for the foreseeable future. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren are all eligible for contract extensions this summer. Gilgeous-Alexander wasted little time signing a new four-year, $285 million contract that'll keep him in OKC through the 2030-31 season. Next up in line are Williams and Holmgren. Both are eligible for new deals after they completed their third season. They made up a star two-thirds of one of the greatest teams in NBA history. Williams broke out as one of the league's best players with his first-time All-Star and All-NBA nods. Holmgren headlined one of the best defenses ever. While Thunder general manager Sam Presti didn't go into the dirty details of contract negotiations, he did say he couldn't wait to get on the phone with all three players and their agents. Or in Gilgeous-Alexander's case, just him as a self-representative. "All those questions about the contracts and things like that, I want to keep all that in house, primarily because I have so much respect for all these guys. Those aren't public conversations. Those are conversations that need to be had face-to-face and internally," Presti said. "I can say I'm extremely excited about being able to have conversations with these three guys, Shai obviously chief among the group." It didn't take long for Presti to follow up on that. Less than a day after his 2024-25 end-of-season press conference, the Thunder signed Gilgeous-Alexander to a no-brainer supermax extension. The 26-year-old will spend his prime in OKC. "I feel like they feel some ownership over what has been established, and I think that's really important in any type of discussion like this," Presti said. "I'm really excited because I can't think of three guys that you'd rather sit down with and talk about their futures with the organization. But it's not a public thing. I would be disappointed if it turned into that." If the Thunder can sign all three to extensions this offseason — which they now should considering Gilgeous-Alexander was the trickiest of the trio — then that'll be a homerun summer followed by the greatest season in franchise history.
Fox Sports
44 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Bucks to Waive Damian Lillard After Agreeing to Deal With Myles Turner
Myles Turner has agreed to a four-year deal to join the Milwaukee Bucks, who waived nine-time All-Star Damian Lillard to make the acquisition happen, a person with knowledge of the moves told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Turner is agreeing to a deal that ends with a player option, after spending the entirety of his first 10 seasons with the Indiana Pacers, which went to the NBA Finals this past season. And the remaining $112.6 million owed to Lillard will be paid out over the next five seasons via the NBA's stretch provision, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because neither move was announced by the clubs involved. ESPN, which first reported the plan by the Pacers and Bucks, said Turner agreed to a contract worth $107 million. In both cases, Achilles tendon injuries played a role in the surprising moves. Indiana expects to be without star guard Tyrese Haliburton for the entirety of the coming season because he ruptured his Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder while playing through what was diagnosed as a calf strain. And earlier in the playoffs, Lillard ruptured his Achilles tendon while playing for Milwaukee in Round 1 against Indiana. Lillard also is likely to miss most, if not all, of the coming season. He will be free to sign with anyone he chooses, and teams could simply sign him now, give him a chance to continue his recovery and do so with hope that the seven-time All-NBA selection is fully ready to go by the start of the 2026-27 season. Turner has averaged 14.1 points and 6.8 rebounds in his 10 seasons with the Pacers, who had a decision to make this summer about whether to surpass the luxury tax threshold with the knowledge that Haliburton likely cannot play this coming season. Lillard, who turns 35 later this month, has averaged 25.1 points and 6.7 assists in 900 regular-season games over 13 seasons — the first 11 with Portland, the last two with Milwaukee. The Bucks lost Brook Lopez to the Los Angeles Clippers when free agency opened Monday. Reporting by The Associated Press. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience National Basketball Association recommended Get more from National Basketball Association Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
