Nancy Leonard, beloved leader of Pacers franchise who helped save it from financial ruin, dies at 93

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Nancy Leonard, a beloved leader of the Indiana Pacers franchise who helped save it from financial ruin during its ABA-NBA transition, has died at 93, her family said.

Leonard’s family released a statement through the IndyStar saying the matriarch's health steadily declined in recent months and she died Tuesday.

“Before every game, I knew I could count on a wink and smile behind the bench,” Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton wrote on social media. “There is no Pacers basketball without Nancy Leonard. Can’t wait to see the day her name is in the rafters where it belongs.”

Leonard, who was married to late Hall of Fame Pacers coach Bobby “Slick” Leonard, was the Pacers' assistant general manager from 1976 to 1980.

She and her husband were credited with the idea to run a season-ticket telethon that saved the organization from economic collapse in 1977.

“Quite simply, we would not be here without her,” Pacers Sports & Entertainment ownership wrote in a statement. “From the earliest days of the franchise, Nancy poured her heart and soul into the team, not just as the wife of Slick Leonard, but as a female trailblazer who rallied the community when we needed it most.”

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