Last week, Alex Golden and I made a list of our “Top 10 Pacers in history” on the Setting the Pace podcast. We decided to limit our selections to the NBA-only player list. Not to downplay or ignore those great ABA teams, but instead, to give a more specific group to consider.
Before revealing who we chose, I wanted to give the fans a chance to give their votes. Rather than doing a top-10 list from the fans, I asked on social media who everyone’s “Mount Rushmore” of NBA Pacers would be. Hundreds of fans responded within a day, and here are the results:
Reggie Miller was the unanimous number one choice among fans. Tyrese Haliburton had the second most votes, but Jermaine O’Neal wasn’t far behind at number three. Paul George edged out Rik Smits for the fourth and final spot. Danny Granger had the sixth most votes. After those six, fans were pretty split, giving several votes to Pascal Siakam, Chuck Person, Dale Davis, Ron Artest, and Jalen Rose.
It’s always a fun experiment, and relies heavily on the age of those responding, as well as what eras impacted them the most. Tyrese Haliburton is already number two on the list according to many fans, and he will even have the chance of becoming the greatest Pacer when it’s all said and done.
And now, let’s reveal the top ten lists that Alex and I chose on the podcast.
Alex Golden’s top 10 Pacers list:
10. Dale Davis
9. Chuck Person
8. Danny Granger
7. Roy Hibbert
6. Rik Smits
5. Pascal Siakam
4. Paul George
3. Jermaine O’Neal
2. Tyrese Haliburton
1. Reggie Miller
My top 10 Pacers list:
10. Chuck Person
9. Mark Jackson
8. Dale Davis
7. Pascal Siakam
6. Danny Granger
5. Paul George
4. Rik Smits
3. Jermaine O’Neal
2. Tyrese Haliburton
1. Reggie MIller
You can listen to the full conversation on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts, as we gave some context on why we made those decisions. It’s always fun to look back and think about all of the greats that have wore the blue and gold, both present and older generations.
One of the key parts of the conversation: Just how high could Haliburton and Siakam climb on the all-time list? For me, Haliburton could become the greatest with a championship. If he ever reaches the Finals again, you could make the argument.
Reggie’s longevity and what he meant to the state and franchise will always be tough to top, but Haliburton could get there with another deep run. As for Siakam, he’s already close or on the Mount Rushmore in the eyes of many. For me, another year or two of great play with more post-season success, and he could climb up the ranks a few more spots.
It’s a fun topic to debate and discuss in the dog days of summer. Soon enough, the Pacers will get back on the court and the focus will shift to the current squad and the dreams they’ll continue to chase.
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