VIDEO: On the court with the Pacers on Fan Appreciation Night
VIDEO: On the court with the Pacers on Fan Appreciation Night
Watch nearly six minutes of players interacting with Pacers fans on the court after they played the Detroit Pistons at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The Pacers finished off the home portion of their 2022-23 schedule Friday night and after the game, the players remained on the court for about 15 minutes.
As always, players walked around to interact with fans, thanking them for their support all year. They signed mini-basketball, items from fans and took photos. The one thing I did not see was tubs of player shoes collected throughout the season that are typically given away.
The building was sold-out for the seventh and final time of the season. And, as you see in the photo above, Buddy Hield took fan appreciation night to another level.
When he was out of the game, he sat in row 1 on the baseline. Afterward, I asked him about that experience and what was said.
“They said a lot of things I can’t talk about,” Hield said, laughing. “But it was fun just connecting with the fans. The fans in Indy have been so great to me since I’ve been here. It was a smooth transition (from Sacramento). Nothing but love and respect for them. They opened their arms and welcomed me to the city.
“When I came off the plane — me, Tyrese and Tristan, from the organization, from the fans, everybody just opened their arms and shown us the love. I feel really appreciated and this feels like home. Love being here and hopefully next year we can get these fans what they really want and get to the playoffs.”
Come on the court with me in the video below and see Pacers players enjoying the final interaction with fans of the season following their loss to the Pistons.