Pacers owner Herb Simon nominated for Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WISH) — Indiana Pacers owner Herb Simon has been involved with basketball for a long time.
On Thursday, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame recognized that by naming Simon as one of the many nominees for the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024.
Simon is a first-time nominee and is in the contributor category.
“Herb is the longest-tenured governor in the history of the NBA,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said ahead of the team’s game Thursday night at the Memphis Grizzlies. “So, this is 40 years that he’s been governor, or he’s had ownership of the Pacers in 1983. He saved the franchise by purchasing the franchise at that time, taking on a lot of debt, and has built it into one of the model franchises, and his acts of philanthropy are legendary, and he’s a guy that doesn’t ever seek attention. So, this is very well-deserved of him.”
Simon is one of 30 nominees in the contributor category. Other nominees in that category include Henry Bibby, Doug Collins, Mike Fratello, Donnie Walsh and Jerry West.
Simon purchased the Pacers in 1983.
The Class of 2024 finalists from the Honor’s Committee will be announced on Friday, Feb. 16 in Indianapolis during NBA All-Star Weekend.
The entire Class of 2024 will then be unveiled during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four in Phoenix, Arizona on Saturday, April 6.
“The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame also announced changes to its election process that will more carefully examine candidates from the International, Men’s Veteran’s, Women’s Veteran’s, and Contributor Committees,” according to a news release. “Since 2011, the Hall of Fame has allowed these categories to be stand-alone ‘direct-elect’ committees with the objective of ensuring candidates who may have ‘fallen through the cracks’ received focused and specialized consideration in these various categories. The Election Process Committee has determined that this objective of more acute consideration has been met during this 12-year period, and now candidates put forth from these categories will revert back to the previous and traditional process of being presented for final consideration to the Honors Committee for election.”