Former Indiana Pacers head coach Bobby Leonard of Terre Haute, Indiana passed away on Tuesday at the age of 88 according to Zak Keefer and J. Michael of the IndyStar. Leonard, who was nicknamed “Slick,” was the head coach of the Pacers from 1968 to 1980, and later the Pacers’ radio analyst from 1985 until his death.
It should be noted that during Leonard’s time as the Pacers head coach, the franchise was not always part of the National Basketball Association. From 1968 to 1976, the Pacers were part of the American Basketball Association, and Leonard coached Indiana to three ABA Championships in 1970, 1972, and 1973.
Leonard had a lot more success coaching the Pacers while the franchise was in the ABA than the NBA. He had a record of 387 wins and 270 losses while Indiana was in the ABA, but only 186 wins and 214 losses while Indiana was in the NBA. Leonard’s 387 wins were the most ever by a coach in the ABA. Mike Storen, who was the Pacers’ general manager and the person who hired Leonard, died of cancer a year ago at age 84.
In addition to coaching Indiana, Leonard coached the Chicago Zephyrs during the 1962-63 NBA season, and the Baltimore Bullets during the 1963-64 season. Leonard was also drafted by the original Baltimore Bullets in 1954 as a point guard, but that team folded soon after, and he ended up playing five seasons with the Lakers organization (four seasons in Minneapolis and one in Los Angeles).
After five seasons with the Lakers, Leonard ended his career by playing two seasons in Chicago. In 1961-62, they were known as the Packers, and in 1962-63, they were known as the Chicago Zephyrs. It was with the Packers, Leonard had his best NBA season, as he averaged 16.1 points per game, and 1125 total points.
Leonard was also remembered for his college career at Indiana University. He had a game-winning free throw for the Hoosiers at the 1953 NCAA Championship, as Indiana beat Kansas 69-68 in a dramatic championship game in Kansas City. In 2014, Leonard was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts as a coach.
