'This one spoke to me’: Lloyd Pierce bringing third annual Indy coat drive to Horizon House
Pierce, along with several Pacers players, is hosting the third annual winter coat drive on Dec. 2 at Horizon House — an event that continues to grow as the team leans into community engagement.
Lloyd Pierce often feels a pull to give back. It’s part of who he is.
As the Pacers’ lead assistant coach — and former Atlanta Hawks head coach — he has more visibility than most, and that platform has helped him grow a winter initiative that’s now heading into year three.
On Tuesday (Dec. 2), Pierce will host his third annual coat drive from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. ET at Goodwill Horizon House, located just east of downtown Indy at 1033 E Washington St.
Guards Bennedict Mathurin and Taelon Peter are scheduled to join him. They’re asking the community to donate new or gently used coats, which will then be distributed to those in need.
Pierce was involved with several organizations, including Hope thru Soap, during his time in Atlanta. A few years ago, he reached out to Corey Wilson, the Pacers’ senior vice president of community engagement, to learn where the need was greatest in Indianapolis. How could he do his part and make an impact?
Horizon House — a safe place for individuals experiencing homelessness — was the answer. “This one spoke to me the most,” he said.
There’s always demand for coats and winter essentials. Pierce describes year one, in 2023, as “kind of an impromptu deal.”
In 2024, they had more time and pushed it out on social media and on the video board at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Now in 2025, they expect it to be bigger and better.
“I think anytime you do something that has purpose, you start getting a lot of support behind it,” Pierce said. “And we did it (in 2023). I think people knew about it after the fact. We got a lot of coats the next day. So this time, knowing about it ahead of time and knowing that we did it last year, I think obviously people wanted to get involved and help out.”
Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith, who supported the first year, was one of the headline players in year two — even while sidelined with an injury.
“It’s a good feeling to be able to impact the community like this,” he said. “Coming from last year to this year, there’s already a big difference. I pulled up, it was hard to pull in. There were so many cars pulling in and out.”
What stands out is how many members of the team support the event. It’s cold outside, and it’s an off day, yet players stopped by to drop off donations and interact with others doing the same.
“This has nothing to do with me,” Pierce said. “This is who our guys are, and this is what our organization is about. We’ve done a number of events already. Ty (Haliburton) had his Thanksgiving celebration. Benn had his support for the Haitian community.
“We spent a lot of time last year speaking about our guys and the character of our guys, and we’re able to retain those same guys. So character normally doesn’t go away. We have good guys, we have great character, and they do a great job of supporting each other.
Added Nesmith: “We always say our super power is how together we are. I think that speaks volumes. You can see it on how we play. And whenever there’s event — coaching players, XYZ — we always show up 10 deep.”
The Pacers leaned in to promote the third annual drive. Pierce, Mathurin, and Peter were on the cover of the gametime program — handed out free to fans before home games — on Saturday for their game against the Chicago Bulls.
“You guys cheer us on,” Nesmith said of fans in the community. “It’s on us and it’s our part to help cheer you guys on and do whatever we can to help the community as well. So we appreciate the fans. We just want to show our gratitude any way we can.”
Last month, Nesmith served as the front-facing host for the team’s annual Thanksgiving dinner for members of the community. Mathurin, Obi Toppin, and others have already hosted their own events.
