INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Pacers Sports and Entertainment owner Herb Simon will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame later this year.

Simon is among the 13 inductees in the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024.

The announcement was made on Saturday in Glendale, Ariz.

“I hope I represent the Pacers and the Fever and Indiana as well as I can,” Simon told News 8 Sports reporter Andrew Chernoff.

Simon was named to the Hall of Fame as a “contributor.” The Hall of Fame’s official website says that “A person is eligible for Enshrinement as a contributor at any time for significant contributions to the game of basketball. What constitutes a ‘significant contribution’ shall be determined by the BHOF, its Election Process Committee, and the Contributor Direct-Elect Committee.”

“As the longest-standing governor in NBA history, a founding member of the WNBA, and a former Chairman of the NBA Board of Governors, Herb Simon has been instrumental in every significant NBA and WNBA development over the past four decades,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a press release. “While Herb has never sought credit for his truly influential role, it is wonderful to see his steady leadership and service to the game of basketball recognized by the Hall of Fame.”

Simon and his late brother Mel purchased the Pacers in 1983. Herb Simon is the longest-tenured NBA governor in league history.

“Herb has always pushed our organization and the NBA to think bigger about our opportunity to reach new fans, make impact off the court, and grow the brand in innovative ways,” Pacers Sports & Entertainment CEO Rick Fuson in a press release. “He has certainly had an outsized impact on the growth of the game, and he has done it in his unique, unassuming way that deflects praise to others.”

Simon and the other inductees will be enshrined in Springfield, Massachusetts, on Aug. 16-17.