Longtime Indiana Pacers owner Herb Simon was honored with induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, with his wife and all eight of his children present.
Hall of Famers Tamika Catchings, Larry Bird, and Reggie Miller stood beside him. Simon expressed his deep admiration and appreciation for their commitment Pacers and Fever.
“Reggie, we drafted you in 1987 and you became the face of the Pacers and you put us on the map,” Simon said. “The cheers you generated at Market Square Arena and the Fieldhouse can still be heard today. You played your entire 18 year career in Indianapolis and our beloved Indiana. You epitomize everything it is to be a Pacer.”
Simon focused much of his speech on how basketball has united his family. He also shared how the late Jim Morris influenced his decision to buy the team in 1983
“The team wasn’t doing well and they were in negotiations with a potential buyer, who was planning to buy the team and move it out of town and out of the state too, he said. “It would be hard to imagine in the state of Indiana, where basketball was perfected, for them (Pacers) to be gone it would be tragic.”
Simon explained that, in a final attempt to save the team, Jim Morris, the Mayor of Indianapolis, and several city leaders met with his brother Mel and him to discuss buying the team and keeping it in the city. Simon said the meeting lasted only 20 minutes, but by the end, he owned the team.
Simon thanked former coach and team executive Donnie Walsh, who guided the team to 19 playoff appearances, six Eastern Conference Finals, and the NBA Finals. In 41 years, Simon has had only three basketball presidents, which he described as “great continuity.”
Simon shared how excited he is for this season, saying it’s great to have both the Pacers and the Fever doing well and giving Hoosiers plenty to cheer about. He wrapped up his speech by remembering his late brother Melvin, who died in 2009, and said how important Melvin was to his success.
“If ever an award deserved two names on it, this would be it,” he added.
