The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2022 will be enshrined on Saturday night in Springfield, Mass. Although many may not realize it, one of this year's inductees is actually a former Pacer.
NBA fans remember Tim Hardaway for his years spent with the Golden State Warriors and the Miami Heat, but the five-time All-Star actually played his final NBA games in Indiana, signing with the team in March 2003 and taking part in 10 regular-season and four playoff games before officially retiring.
Hardaway will be the ninth former Pacers player to reach the Hall of Fame. Reggie Miller, Roger Brown, Mel Daniels, and George McGinnis all have their jersey numbers hanging from the rafters in Gainbridge Fieldhouse in commemoration of their storied Pacers careers.
Hardaway, meanwhile, will join an eclectic group of players that reached the Hall of Fame for their achievements elsewhere, but also enjoyed brief stints in Indiana either early or late in their careers. Others matching that description include Adrian Dantley, Alex English, Gus Johnson, and Chris Mullin.
Hardaway was actually semi-retired at the start of the 2002-03 season and spent most of the year working as a television analyst for ESPN. But he remained interested in playing and eventually got a late-season opportunity in Indiana.
The Pacers got off to a tremendous start that season and had the best record in the Eastern Conference (37-15) on Feb. 14. But things went awry from there, as the team dropped 15 of its next 19 contests.
Pacers President Donnie Walsh had been in touch with Hardaway's agent over the course of the season and set up a workout in early March for the 36-year-old guard. He eventually signed with the team a few weeks later on March 27, adding needed depth with starting point guard Jamaal Tinsley on bereavement leave following the death of his mother and backup Erick Strickland dealing with a rib injury.
“Until they called, I thought (my career) was over with,” Hardaway said at the time of his signing.
Pacers head coach Isiah Thomas threw Hardaway into the rotation right away. He logged 21 minutes off the bench in his Pacer debut on March 28, tallying 14 points, seven assists, and three steals in a win over Chicago.
That would be Hardaway's most productive game in an Indiana uniform. His aging body and Tinsley's return limited his minutes, but Hardaway still saw the floor in 10 of the Pacers' final 11 regular-season contests. Following the win over the Bulls, he amassed just three total points over his next four games, but averaged 7.5 points over the following four contests, including a 12-point, four-assist performance in a victory at Madison Square Garden on April 15.
The Pacers entered the playoffs as the third seed in the East and faced sixth-seeded Boston in the first round. Hardaway saw scarce playing time over the first four games of the series, logging five scoreless minutes in Game 1 and 12 scoreless minutes in Game 3 while not appearing in Games 2 and 4.
But after the Celtics opened up a 3-1 lead in the series, Thomas turned to the veteran guard in Game 5. Hardaway rose to the occasion, tallying 13 points and six assists off the bench to help Indiana to a 93-88 overtime victory. Hardaway logged 27 minutes (Tinsley started but played just 11 minutes) and went 3-for-6 from 3-point range.
That would prove to be the last significant performance of Hardaway's career. He only played three minutes in Game 6, which the Celtics won in Boston to close out the series.
Of course, Hardaway's final 14 games are just a small footnote to his overall career, which spanned 923 regular-season and postseason contests from 1989-2003. He averaged 17.7 points, 8.2 assists, and 1.6 steals in the regular season and was named an All-Star from 1991-93 with Golden State and again in 1997 and 1998 with Miami. He was an All-NBA first-team selection in 1997 and earned second or third-team honors on four other occasions.
Hardaway's son, Tim Hardaway Jr., made his NBA debut in 2013 and played for current Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle in Dallas from 2019-21.
When Hardaway is officially enshrined on Saturday, Thomas will be among the active Hall of Famers to present him for enshrinement. Hardaway told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel this week that Thomas was his "basketball idol," so it's somewhat fitting that he ended his career playing for him. Hardaway's other presenters include Mullin and Mitch Richmond (his former teammates in Golden State), legendary point guard Nate Archibald (who coached him in college), and WNBA star Yolanda Griffith (his high school classmate).
There will be other Indiana connections this weekend. Miller will present referee Hugh Evans for enshrinement, while Fever legend Tamika Catchings will present Swin Cash. Former Fever coach Marianne Stanley and Plainfield High School alum Del Harris are also among this year's inductees.