Rick Carlisle has agreed to a four-year deal worth $29 million to become the new coach of the Indiana Pacers, hooking Carlisle up with another UVA alum, Pacers point guard Malcolm Brogdon.
Carlisle had just last week resigned as the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks after a 13-year run there that included an NBA title in 2011.
This will be Carlisle’s second stint in Indiana. He coached the Pacers for four seasons from 2003-2007, leading Indiana to an Eastern Conference final appearance in 2004.
In his 20 seasons as an NBA head coach, Carlisle is 836-649 with 15 playoff appearances.
Carlisle is a 1984 graduate of the University of Virginia, where he was a two-year starter, including on the 1984 Final Four team.
His five-year NBA career included a world title with the Boston Celtics in 1986.
The return to Indiana links Carlisle to 2016 UVA alum Malcolm Brogdon, the team’s leading scorer this past season (21.2 ppg, 5.9 assists/g).
The Pacers didn’t live up to expectations under one-and-done coach Nate Bjorkgren, who was let go after Indiana failed to make the 2021 playoffs from the play-in round after a 34-38 finish in the regular season.
The Indiana roster has a lot to build around – including Brogdon, swingman Caris LeVert (20.7 ppg, 4.9 assists/g), big man Domantas Sabonis (20.2 ppg, 12.0 rebounds/g, 6.7 assists/g), shooting guard T.J. Warren (15.5 ppg) and versatile small forward Myles Turner (12.6 ppg, 6.5 rebounds/g).
Story by Chris Graham
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