93-Year-Old Indiana Pacers Superfan’s Fandom Journey Warms NBA Fans’ Hearts

The Indiana Pacers' most famous fan, Nancy Leonard, will be a prominent feature of the NBA Finals coverage this year.

93-Year-Old Indiana Pacers Superfan’s Fandom Journey Warms NBA Fans’ Hearts

Nancy Leonard (Image via Twitter/X)

The Indiana Pacers have made it back to their second NBA Finals since the dissolution of the ABA. It is their first Finals series in 25 years, during which the team has not had a top-5 pick even once. This is a testament to Kevin Pritchard and his roster-building approach while operating in a small market. Even though Indiana is the basketball capital of the world, NBA superstars have always avoided this city in free agency.

It has fallen to the team’s front office to engineer moves and find talent that slips through the cracks. They have also become adept at identifying talent that fits their roster and accelerates their timeline. Both their top two players, Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam, have been brought to Indianapolis via trades. The team also has a glut of young, blossoming talent coming through the ranks via their draft pipeline.

All of this has placed the team in a position to contend for the NBA title for a long, long time. Tyrese Haliburton is still only 24 years old and entering the prime of his career. Pascal Siakam is 31 years old and should play at an All-NBA level for 3-4 years longer. Homegrown talent Myles Turner is 29 years old and is also right in the middle of his physical prime. This team also plays a very watchable brand of basketball.

One of the people who richly deserve this watchable, exciting brand of basketball is 93 years old. Nancy Leonard has been a Pacers fan since the inception of the team in the late 1960s ABA, following her husband’s appointment as the coach of the team. She witnessed the team establish an ABA dynasty nearly five decades ago. Her husband, Slick Leonard, coached the Pacers to three ABA championships during the 1970s. Slick is a Hall of Famer.

She is one of the few fans in any sport worldwide who can legitimately claim to have saved the franchise she’s a fan of. Now closing in on 60 years of fandom, Leonard can often be spotted at a courtside seat just behind the announcers’ table on the sideline.

Myles Turner hugged the nonagenarian after the Pacers sealed their Finals berth with a Game 6 win over the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals. She will be a prominent feature in ESPN’s coverage of the upcoming NBA Finals.

NBA fans show their awe and respect for Nancy Leonard ahead of the Indiana Pacers’ Finals series

Since the Indiana Pacers haven’t been brought into focus until recently, a number of NBA fans were unaware of how big a superfan even a midwest team can have. While Indiana is the home of the beautiful game, the team hasn’t had much national TV attention until recently. Nancy Leonard is now being brought into the limelight as the team advances to its second NBA Finals by sports networks.

NBA fans who spotted the Pacers’ grand old lady supporter are now tweeting their astonishment at her fandom.

While it would be a great story for Nancy Leonard to see her Pacers win a championship nearly 50 years after their ABA wins, the odds of this happening are quite minimal. The OKC Thunder won 68 games in the regular season. They have reached 80 total wins this season before losing 20 games across the regular season and playoffs. It would be a miracle of sorts if the Pacers triumph in the upcoming NBA Finals.

Also Read: