Herb Simon discusses being selected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame | VIDEO

Simon was in Glendale, Arizona on Saturday and honored in the second half of the NC State v Purdue game at the men's Final Four.

Indiana Pacers longtime owner Herb Simon was officially named as a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2024 on Saturday. The official announcement was made in Glendale, Ariz. at the men’s Final Four.

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Simon will be inducted into the Hall of Fame for his contributors to the game as the longstanding owner of Pacers Sports & Entertainment, and specifically the Pacers and Fever. He is part of a 13-member class that is highlighted by Chauncey Billups and Vince Carter.

Watch what he had to say at press conference on Saturday, April 6, 2024:

Transcript

I'm also very proud to be involved with these incredible people up here. I'm also representing the Indiana Pacers and the Fever and the State of Indiana, which is the place where basketball was perfected. I'm very proud of that too, and proud to be here. Thank you.

Question: You're the longest-tenured owner in the NBA. How hard is that to do in this day and age where money is thrown around and you could have sold the team probably a million times? How hard is that to be up there 41 years later?

Well, it was much easier to do in Indiana where people really care about basketball. We just all bound together.

I always felt that I was a steward of the paces for the community and I dealt with it that way and it's become a passion and a pleasure.

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And after the announcement, Simon joined the ESPN broadcast.