Hoosiers and Pacers icon Bobby 'Slick' Leonard dies at 88
Bobby “Slick” Leonard, the Depression-era kid from Terre Haute, Indiana, who grew up to lead his home state Hoosiers to an NCAA title, build the best franchise in ABA history and, later, save professional basketball in Indianapolis, has died, the Indiana Pacers announced Tuesday. He was 88.
Slick — he earned his nickname in a late-night gin rummy game with Lakers teammate George Mikan — was profoundly Hoosier, as Indiana as they come. He was beloved first as the All-American guard who sank the free throw that clinched Indiana’s 1953 national championship, then as a ruthless competitor who lasted eight seasons in the NBA, then as the Indiana Pacers’ hard-driving coach who turned the fledgling ABA upstart into three-time league champions.
"Pacers fans will remember Bobby ‘Slick’ Leonard as the spirit of our franchise," Pacers owner Herb Simon said in a statement released by the team. "With a charisma, intensity, and wit to match his nickname, Slick made us champions. He was our biggest fan and our most loving critic, and he personified Pacers basketball for generations of Hoosier families.
"Most importantly, though, Slick and Nancy are our family, and his passing leaves an unfillable void in the hearts of everyone associated with this organization. We keep the entire Leonard family in our prayers, and we recognize and honor Slick for what he meant to our state both on and off the court.”
Leonard's family released a statement as well: "Dad passed away in his sleep this morning. He had been struggling with numerous ailments for some time. We are so thankful that he passed peacefully.
On behalf of Mom and Dad, our family extends a heartfelt thank you for the incredible, lifelong support of so many friends, Hoosier basketball fans, the Pacers and Indiana University.
Gratefully,
The Leonard Family"
Gov. Eric Holcomb also released a statement: "Slick Leonard is an Indiana icon. He was the embodiment of basketball with his wide-ranging career ... His presences in the arena and in our state will be deeply missed. You can't find anyone who doesn't love Slick."
They saved the Pacers
And without Leonard and his wife of 66 years, Nancy, the Pacers would be long gone from Indianapolis. While the team foundered in financial ruin in 1977 shortly after joining the NBA, the Leonards orchestrated a last-second telethon that raised enough money to keep the franchise from folding.
After his coaching days, Slick became the Pacers’ iconic radio analyst, shouting his signature call — Boom baby! — after every made 3-pointer. He became the fourth Pacer inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014, joining two of his former players, Roger Brown and Mel Daniels, and the Pacer who spurred him to shout ‘Boom baby!’ more than any other: Reggie Miller.
“When you think of the Indiana Pacers, you think of Slick Leonard,” said Larry Bird, former Pacers president and a close friend of Leonard’s. Leonard served the organization for 50 years.
Leonard sent a scare through the Pacers organization in March 2011, when he collapsed with a heart attack on the team bus after a win in New York. After his recovery, he nixed traveling to road games and called only home games on the radio.
More recently Leonard suffered three falls in 2018, shattering his left hip in January and breaking his left wrist in June. In late December, he fell again. After that fall, Leonard was unable to call games for more than two months, and the Pacers put out a video of Leonard reminiscing for fans. He returned to the mic on Feb. 28, 2019.
‘Couldn’t have dreamed of this’
A highlight of his life came in 2014. Leonard was overcome with emotion upon his induction in Springfield, Massachusetts.
“For me, it took a while,” he said. “But I’m going out in style.
“I’ve had a love affair with the fans and the people in the state of Indiana,” he continued. “We call ourselves Hoosiers. And they’ve been very supportive. It’s a love affair that has gone on for years, since I was at Indiana University. And I wish it could last forever.”
In a lengthy July 2019 interview with The Star, Leonard reflected on his life in basketball.
“Couldn’t have dreamed all of this,” he said. “Heck, I never even thought I’d go to college.”
College was where he met Nancy. He was from the trailers of Terre Haute; she from a well-to-do family in South Bend. She caught his eye, but he was too shy to ask her out. He resorted to tripping her when she strolled past him in health class. They were married four years later, the day after they graduated from IU, and went on to have five children and 12 grandchildren.
‘We went to war for him’
Basketball was Leonard’s ticket, and Slick rode it with a style all his own. He feared no one, demanded results and won everywhere he went. His banner in Bankers Life Fieldhouse reads 529 — the number of victories for Leonard while coaching the Pacers.
“No tears, no fears,” he’d tell his players in the moments before a big game. “Walk out like you own the place.”
His antics became legend: He once threatened to fight Celtics coach Red Auerbach on the court, once yanked a whistle straight off an official’s neck, once chased his own player through the locker room with a hockey stick.
And after most games, he’d drape his arm around them and buy a round of beers.
He truly was one of kind. His players grew to love him. So did the Hoosier state.
“Wasn’t afraid of nobody,” said George McGinnis. “And that rubbed off on us.”
“When it came down to it, he loved us,” added Daniels. “We went to war for him.”
Perhaps his radio partner and friend for more than two decades, Mark Boyle, summed it up best: “The fans love him, I love him, and he’s done everything there is to do.
“He is Mr. Pacer. There’s just no one else.”
Key ABA career stats
Among Bobby "Slick" Leonard's achievements:
3 ABA championships with Indiana Pacers: 1970, 1972, 1973
69 playoff wins
Winningest coach in ABA history
5 ABA Finals appearances
529 wins as Pacers coach
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Bobby 'Slick' Leonard, Pacers and Hoosiers legend, dies at 88
