SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WISH) — The countdown continues until Pacers Sports & Entertainment Owner Herb Simon officially joins the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Simon is part of the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024 and will be enshrined next month at a ceremony on Oct. 13 at Symphony Hall in Springfield, Mass.
On Thursday, it was unveiled who will be presenting for each member of the Class of 2024.
Larry Bird, Reggie Miller and Tamika Catchings will be presenters for Simon during the ceremony.
Simon, who is the longest-tenured owner in NBA history, is joining the Hall of Fame under the “contributor” category.
“It means a lot,” Simon said to News 8 Sports’ Andrew Chernoff back in April . “For someone who never hit a three-pointer, never dunked the ball, to be in the Basketball Hall of Fame is a real special honor. I owe it to a lot of people in the fact I was put in a position to guide the Pacers for the last many years.”
All three of his presenters have had plenty of interactions with Simon over the years.
Bird served as head coach of the Pacers from 1997-2000. A few years after coaching, he then became the franchise’s president of basketball operations. Bird is no longer in the same role, but he still continues to be involved with the franchise.
Bird was enshrined into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998.
Meanwhile, Reggie Miller played all 18 of his NBA seasons with the Pacers. He is the team’s all-time leading scorer.
He was enshrined into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.
Finally, Catchings , like Miller, spent her entire playing career in the Circle City. Catchings played for the Indiana Fever for 15 seasons and helped the team capture its first WNBA championship in 2012.
She was enshrined into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.
Members of the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024 were asked to “select previous inductees to accompany and present them during the ceremony. The choice is solely up to the incoming Hall of Famers or, in the case of posthumous recognition, their family members.”
To see the entire list of Hall of Fame inductees and presenters, click here .
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