INDIANAPOLIS–Memories were shared, tears were shed, and the life of a Hoosier basketball legend was celebrated Wednesday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis.
Former Indiana Pacers coach and broadcaster Bobby “Slick” Leonard died in April at the age of 88. He was honored with a celebration of life called “Boom Baby! The Life and Times of Bobby ‘Slick’ Leonard”, which was hosted by Pacers Sports & Entertainment.
Leonard’s family members and friends went up on stage to honor him. Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb sent in a taped message.
“I am grateful, so grateful, for the life and leadership of the man who lived a Hoosier hoops dream and made our state a better place along the way,” said Holcomb.
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett was in attendance as well.
“The Indianapolis of the 21st century, I dare say, would look very different, if it weren’t for the man we celebrate today,” said Joe Hogsett.
Leonard’s wife Nancy called him her “gentle giant with the golden voice.”
“Dad loved the people of Indiana, the greatest basketball fans on Earth,” said his son, Tom.
Mark Boyle, radio play-by-play announcer for the Pacers Radio Network, has often said working with Leonard was one of the greatest honors of his life.
“Slick is gone, but he will always be with us back home in Indiana,” said Boyle.
Leonard, the Terre Haute native who led Indiana University to the 1953 national championship, coached the Pacers to three American Basketball Association titles and later served as the team’s radio analyst with Boyle.
A visual tribute to Leonard was also played on the AES Indiana building on Monument Circle Wednesday night. It featured clips from his Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame speech in 2014.
