Remembering Indiana basketball legend Nancy Leonard

WBUR | By Here & Now Newsroom

Published September 25, 2025 at 8:50 AM PDT

Nancy Leonard, known as the first lady of Indiana basketball, died on Wednesday at 93.

The wife of Hall of Fame Pacers coach and broadcaster Bobby “Slick” Leonard, Nancy Leonard, became the first woman to serve as an assistant general manager of an NBA team in the 1970s, and subsequently saved the team from financial ruin in 1977.

Gregg Doyel, sports columnist with the Indianapolis Star, joins us to discuss what Leonard meant to Indianapolis and the Pacers.

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This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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