By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
Herb Simon has certainly told the story of how he and his late brother Melvin came to own the Indiana Pacers dozens, if not hundreds of times. But when he told it again to a packed crowd of basketball luminaries at Symphony Hall in Springfield, Mass., as well as a national television crowd, it seemed to dawn on him just how wild of a tale it was.
Simon began the story at the National Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony by honoring and thanking the late Jim Morris, the long-time Indianapolis civic leader and Pacers Sports and Entertainment executive, who died in July at the age of 81. Simon reminded attendees that it was Morris who helped orchestrate the meeting between the Simons and Indianapolis leaders, including mayor Bill Hudnut, to try to convince them to buy the team from Sam Nassi and Frank Mariani, who were considering selling to buyers who would take the team out of Indiana.
“They thought we’d be the perfect people (to keep the team in Indiana),” Simon said. “We were so honored that they came to us for help.”
So honored, he said, that they agreed to one of the most hastily made decisions of their business careers.
“As I recall, the meeting only lasted 20 or 30 minutes,” Simon said. “At the end of it, we owned the team. It’s incredible. It’s hard to imagine. I don’t recommend buying a team this way, by the way, or anything. I wouldn’t even buy a stove this way. I guess we didn’t know about due diligence back then or something.”
Simon said they found out later that Morris and the same group of Indianapolis leaders had met with five other potential buyers and been turned down by all of them.
“So I guess we’re not that special,” Simon said. “But we did end up with the team.”
Pacers news: Pacers Herb Simon is longest tenured owner in NBA history
But 41 years later, that decision made the commercial real estate developer from Brooklyn a Hall-of-Famer as the longest-tenured owner in NBA history as well as one of the pioneering owners of the WNBA through his ownership of the Fever. He and Melvin not only saved the Pacers from leaving town, they built them into one of the league’s most consistent franchises even if it isn’t one of its most famous brands. In the 41 seasons Simon has owned the franchise, they have been to the playoffs 27 times, including an NBA Finals trip in 2000 and a return to the Eastern Conference finals this past season for the first time since 2014.
Simon recognized in his speech that, as an owner, he owes the honor of being a Hall of Famer to more people than even players or coaches, and spent most of his speech thanking those people.
“I’ve reflected on, as someone who has never dunked a ball or shot a 3-pointer, how do I wind up getting this tremendous honor,” Simon said, joking that there were no 3-pointers when he played. “It’s because of people who helped me along the way.”
Morris was the first person he thanked. The second was Donnie Walsh, who started with the Pacers as an assistant coach. The Simons made him general manager in 1987 and he spent 20 years in the position, later also spending a season as CEO and then president of basketball operations after spending time with the Knicks.
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“Donnie ran the team for the next 22 years with very little input from Mel and I,” Simon said. “He took us to 19 playoff appearances, six Eastern Conference finals and the NBA Finals. With Donnie running the team, it allowed me, as governor, to get involved in the league business.”
He went on to thank former commissioner David Stern and current commissioner Adam Silver, who he suggested probably had a lot to do with getting him in the Hall of Fame.
“He won’t admit it, but he probably had something to do with it,” Simon said.
Simon also thanked the three Hall-of-Famers who were chosen to present him — Larry Bird, Reggie Miller and Tamika Catchings. Bird, who earned enshrinement because of his playing career with the Celtics, coached the Pacers in that lone Finals run before spending time in the front office. Miller was that team’s star and the franchise’s definitive player. But Catchings got Simon his lone title, leading the Indiana Fever — which he also owns — to the 2012 WNBA championship.
“You brought me my only championship ring,” Simon said, “which I lost.”
Simon also extensively thanked his family, which he said he’s been able to involve in this business more than any other. His son Stephen is a minority owner and Herb’s likely heir, and his daughter Rachel is the chair of the board of the Pacers foundation.
“The great thing about this business that has been different than anything else I have ever done is because it involves the family,” Simon said. “… (The Pacers and Fever) bring my entire family together in a way that is just different than any other business I’ve ever been in. From my wife to my youngest child to my oldest child to my grandchildren, we all share the team together. We celebrate when they win. While we’re not happy when they lose, we are always together. They are able to participate in this journey and that makes it a very special thing.”
Simon circled back to family at the end of his speech. He thanked his niece and Melvin’s daughter, Cindy Simon-Skjodt, whose $40 million donation to Indiana University helped the renovations to Assembly Hall and led to her name being added to the building. While she was visibly emotional in the crowd, Herb remembered that she was there when he and Melvin took over the Pacers. And he remembered that of all the people whose contributions led to him being a Hall of Famer, the most important were his brother’s. Melvin died in 2009.
“It means so much that she’s here tonight, because she was there at the very beginning with Mel and me,” Herb said of Cindy. “She knows as well as I do that I would not be standing here without the support and love of her father and my brother, Mel. If ever an award deserved two names on it, this one deserve it. In closing, I want to dedicate this recognition to the memory of my brother Mel.”
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