The Indiana Pacers are bringing a major piece of franchise history back to the court for the 2026-27 NBA season. The team will wear their classic ABA-era pinstriped uniforms in 15 regular season games as part of a league-wide celebration marking 50 years since the ABA-NBA merger. This retro look arrives as the Pacers continue their preseason slate, coming off a close 127-128 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on October 16.
The Pacers will sport the throwback jerseys 15 times throughout the coming campaign. Five of those games will be against fellow former ABA franchises. They are scheduled for three matchups against the Brooklyn Nets and two against the San Antonio Spurs wearing the retro gear. Their games against the Denver Nuggets, however, will not feature the throwback theme, with one of those contests set for Mexico City on November 7. Fans can track all the dates on the team's official schedule page.
The initiative honors the four former American Basketball Association teams that joined the NBA five decades ago: the Pacers, Nets, Spurs, and Nuggets. The league is recognizing this golden anniversary with special uniforms and even retro-style courts for select games. For the Pacers, it's a nod to a dominant period. They won three ABA championships in 1970, 1972, and 1973 before the league merged with the NBA.
While celebrating history, the team is focused on the present preseason. Their last outing was a narrow 127-128 defeat to the Bucks. Other recent preseason results include a 114-112 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on October 13 and a 117-119 defeat to the Atlanta Hawks on October 10. They did secure a 123-112 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 7. The next test is an away game against the New Orleans Pelicans on October 21.
The iconic design features bold pinstripes, a hallmark of the Pacers' look during their ABA championship runs. The team officially announced the jersey's return on July 30, 2026. This isn't the first time the franchise has tapped into nostalgia. They've previously released "Hickory" themed jerseys and various City Edition uniforms, but this marks a direct callback to their most successful pre-NBA era. It connects today's stars like Tyrese Haliburton to legends such as George McGinnis, Roger Brown, and Reggie Miller, bridging generations of Pacers basketball.
