# List of Indiana Pacers head coaches

The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Pacers play in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team began playing in 1967 as a charter member of the American Basketball Association (ABA), and joined the NBA as part of the ABA–NBA merger. The team has played their home games at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse since the 1999–2000 NBA season. The Pacers are owned by Herbert and Melvin Simon, and David Morway is their general manager. Nate Bjorkgren was the team's head coach in 2020–21 and was fired after one season. Rick Carlisle was hired to replaced Bjorkgren, becoming the coach of the Pacers for the second time.
There have been 14 head coaches for the Pacers franchise. The franchise's first head coach was Larry Staverman, who coached for two seasons. Bobby Leonard is the franchise's all-time leader for the most regular-season games coached (985), the most regular-season game wins (529), the most playoff games coached (116), and the most playoff game wins (69). Leonard is also the only coach to win an ABA championship with the Pacers, with 3 (1970, 1972, 1973). Larry Bird, who coached three seasons with the Pacers, is the Pacers' all-time leader for the highest winning percentage with .687. Bird is also the only coach to win an NBA Eastern Conference championship with the Pacers, but lost the 2000 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. Mel Daniels is the only Pacers coach to have coached less than one season. Jack Ramsay, Larry Brown, and Bobby Leonard are the only Pacers' coaches to be elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach. Ramsay was also named one of the top 10 coaches in NBA history. Jack McKinney and Larry Bird have won the NBA Coach of the Year Award, in 1980–81 and 1997–98, respectively, with the Pacers. Dick Versace and Bird have spent their entire NBA coaching careers with the Pacers. Frank Vogel was named interim head coach after Jim O'Brien was fired midway through the 2010–11 season.

## Key

| GC | Games coached |
| W | Wins |
| L | Losses |
| Win% | Winning percentage |
| # | Number of coaches |
| * | Spent entire NBA head coaching career with the Pacers |
| † | Elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach |

## Coaches

Note: Statistics are correct through the end of the 2023–24 season.
| # | Name | Term | GC | W | L | Win% | GC | W | L | Win% | Achievements |
| # | Name | Term | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | | Achievements | Reference |
| 1 | Larry Staverman | 1967–1968 | 87 | 40 | 47 | .460 | 3 | 0 | 3 | .000 | |
| 2 | Bobby Leonard† | 1968–1980 | 985 | 529 | 456 | .537 | 116 | 69 | 47 | .595 | 3 ABA championships (1970, 1972, 1973) |
| 3 | Jack McKinney | 1980–1984 | 328 | 125 | 203 | .381 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 1980–81 NBA Coach of the Year |
| 4 | George Irvine | 1984–1986 | 164 | 48 | 116 | .293 | — | — | — | — | |
| 5 | Jack Ramsay† | 1986–1988 | 171 | 79 | 92 | .462 | 4 | 1 | 3 | .250 | One of the top 10 coaches in NBA history |
| 6 | Mel Daniels | 1988 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | — | — | — | — | |
| — | George Irvine | 1988–1989 | 20 | 6 | 14 | .300 | — | — | — | — | |
| 7 | Dick Versace* | 1989–1990 | 160 | 73 | 87 | .456 | 3 | 0 | 3 | .000 | |
| 8 | Bob Hill | 1990–1993 | 221 | 113 | 108 | .511 | 12 | 3 | 9 | .250 | |
| 9 | Larry Brown† | 1993–1997 | 328 | 190 | 138 | .579 | 38 | 22 | 16 | .579 | |
| 10 | Larry Bird* | 1997–2000 | 214 | 147 | 67 | .687 | 52 | 32 | 20 | .615 | 1997–98 NBA Coach of the Year |
| 11 | Isiah Thomas | 2000–2003 | 246 | 131 | 115 | .533 | 15 | 5 | 10 | .333 | |
| 12 | Rick Carlisle | 2003–2007 | 328 | 181 | 147 | .552 | 35 | 18 | 17 | .514 | |
| 13 | Jim O'Brien | 2007–2010 | 290 | 121 | 169 | .417 | — | — | — | — | |
| 14 | Frank Vogel | 2010–2016 | 431 | 250 | 181 | .580 | 59 | 30 | 29 | .508 | |
| 15 | Nate McMillan | 2016–2020 | 319 | 183 | 136 | .574 | 19 | 3 | 16 | .158 | |
| 16 | Nate Bjorkgren* | 2020–2021 | 72 | 34 | 38 | .472 | — | — | — | — | |
| — | Rick Carlisle | 2021–present | 246 | 107 | 139 | .435 | 13 | 8 | 9 | .471 | |
* Larry Bird coached the Pacers to the NBA Finals during the 1999–2000 season.
* Isiah Thomas coached the Pacers from 2000–01 to 2002–03.
* Rick Carlisle coached the Pacers from 2003–04 to 2006–07 and then returned to the team for a second stint starting with the 2021–22 season.
* Frank Vogel, Pacers coach from 2010 to 2016
* Nate McMillan, Pacers coach from 2016–17 to 2020