ABA Pacer stars Dr. Dunk, Neto say team wearing their jerseys means more than you could imagine

October 15, 2026

INDIANAPOLIS — Those iconic jerseys, those royal blue uniforms with their yellow and white swoops that Bob Netolicky and Darnell Hillman wore in the 1970s, mean more to them than anyone probably could imagine.

The modern day Indiana Pacers wearing those throwback ABA jerseys this season to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1976 merger between the American Basketball Association and the NBA isn’t just some cool gimmick, in their minds.

Netolicky and Hillman wore those jerseys as they played for the ABA Pacers as superstars in the 1970s. And since the merger in 1976, when the ABA dissolved except for four teams — the Pacers, Spurs, Nuggets and Nets — the two men have been fighting to get the players of their now-defunct league the honor they deserve.

The two joined in the fight with the Dropping Dimes Foundation, a nonprofit founded to help former ABA players who have fallen on hard times, left without any pension from the NBA, despite being a part of the league that paved the way for the modern-day NBA game.

In 2022, the NBA Board of Governors voted to pay $24.5 million to former ABA players, many of whom are struggling to pay rent, medical bills and buy the basic necessities to live. But even today, players are still struggling. Some didn’t qualify because of loopholes in the agreement.

“You sit around, look at these guys with this money they’re making, it’s kind of disheartening a little bit,” Netolicky told IndyStar this week. “I mean, they make more warming up than we made in our whole careers.”

So, anything that brings awareness not just to the ABA but to what it meant to the NBA gives Netolicky and Hillman hope their ABA brethren have not been forgotten.

“Tradition, it’s always important to remember how you got here,” Hillman told IndyStar this week. “(We were) trailblazers that set the tone for the modern game. It’s nice to be remembered.”

As a Pacers player for six seasons, Hillman was known as “Dr. Dunk,” soaring to heights, seemingly, unknown to man.

He got noticed off court, too, as a fashionista in plaid bell bottoms and billowing shirts with a hat atop his 13.5-inch Afro, which Hillman says inspired the likes of Julius “Dr. J” Erving’s hairstyle.

Netolicky was the ABA Pacers sex symbol, keeper of exotic pets and owner of Netolicky’s, a downtown bar where famous people, everyday regulars and ABA superstars hung out. He also had his own stylish flair.

The throwback ABA jerseys the Pacers will wear this season were “way ahead of their time,” says Netolicky. “The design was just so cool. The only difference (with the new ones) is the shorts will be longer.”

Netolicky is joking about those short shorts he and his fellow ABA players wore, but he turns serious when asked what it means for the ABA to be remembered this Pacers season. Netolicky, 84, is the second oldest living Pacer behind Tom Thacker, who is 86.

“It’s a nice tribute,” Netolicky says, to an era of professional basketball that seems to have been forgotten.

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Pacers uniforms through the years

The Pacers are bringing back pinstriped jerseys the team announced July 30, 2026

(Provided by Indiana Pacers)

Tyrese Haliburton wearing the Indiana Pacers’ City edition uniform for the 2025-26 season.

(Indiana Pacers)

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) engages the crowd as Cleveland Cavaliers guard Javonte Green (8) shoots a free throw during the second half of a game Thursday, April 10, 2025, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Pacers defeated the Cavaliers 114-112.

(Christine Tannous/IndyStar)

The Indiana Pacers officially unveiled the “Power IN Pinstripes” Nike City Edition uniform Tuesday for the 2020-21 season.

(Provided/Pacers Sports & Entertainment)

The Indiana Pacers’ Earned Edition uniforms will debut Dec. 28.

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Indiana Pacers guard Cory Joseph (6) begins to celebratew with Domantas Sabonis (11) in 2018.

(Matt Kryger/IndyStar)

Victor Oladipo in the 2017-18 “City” jersey.

(Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)

Myles Turner in 2018.

(Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports)

Glenn Robinson III (left) and Myles Turner in 2017.

(Robert Scheer/IndyStar)

Domantas Sabonis in a “Hickory” jersey.

(Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Spor, Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Spor)

Boomer fires up fans in 2010.

(Joe Vitti/IndyStar)

Jermaine O’Neal and Reggie Miller in 2004.

(Matt Kryger/IndyStar)

Reggie Miller in 1995.

(John Ruthroff/AFP)

The Pacers drafted Wayman Tisdale in 1985,

(IndyStar file photo)

Don Buse played for the Pacers in two stints: 1972-77 and ’80-82.

(Jerry Clark/IndyStar)

George McGinnis played for the Pacers from 1971-75 and ’79-82.

(Frank Fisse/IndyStar)

Roger Brown is an original member of the Indiana Pacers.

(IndyStar file photo)

The ABA’s history is the NBA’s history, but that story rarely gets told’

Social media lit up Monday when the Pacers unveiled the ABA 50th Anniversary Classic Edition uniforms. And social media was, overwhelmingly, positive on the jerseys, which were inspired by the royal blue away game uniforms the Pacers wore from 1971 to 1974.

Scott Tarter saw the buzz on social media and was thrilled.

“I am just hoping a whole new generation of fans can get excited about the history of the team and the history of a league that meant so much to the NBA,” says Tarter, co-founder of the Dropping Dimes Foundation and co-owner of Lana Sports. “The ABA’s history is the NBA’s history, but that story rarely gets told to younger generations.”

Lana Sports, has a trove of ABA memorabilia in its warehouse headquartered in Indianapolis. The company, owned by Tarter, his son Caylor and Hillman, have the exclusive license with the NBA to make, produce and sell the original design ABA basketball.

In promotions this week of the ABA-themed uniforms to be worn by the four teams that merged with the NBA in 1976, the Brooklyn Nets and San Antonio Spurs used the original ABA basketball. The Denver Nuggets and Pacers did not.

Tarter and Netolicky are pushing to get that changed. “We just really want them to use the actual real ABA basketball, not a knockoff,” Tarter said.

Or as Netolicky puts it, laughing, “nobody wants to see that old ugly Wilson.”

ABA Pacers return to Indy Nov. 1 to be honored

As part of the Pacers’ season-long celebration of the ABA-NBA merger, a custom ABA-themed court will debut Nov. 1 and be used throughout the season.

The lanes on the court are plaid to honor Bobby “Slick” Leonard, the coach who led the team to three ABA championships and three ABA division titles.

Also on Nov. 1, former ABA Pacers will be honored during the game between former ABA rivals the Nets.

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A look back at the American Basketball Association Indiana Pacers

Fueled by a work ethic that he demonstrated at Detroit’s Pershing High School during the early 1960s, Mel Daniels worked with his teammates to make the Indiana Pacers a powerhouse team in the American Basketball Association during the early 1970s. It is a legacy that current Pacers team is building on today in the NBA Finals.

(Indiana Pacers)