The 1988–89 NBA season was Indiana's 13th season in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

and 22nd season as a franchise. Despite finishing with a 38–44 record the previous season, the Pacers had the second overall pick in the

1988 NBA draft The 1988 NBA draft took place on June 28, 1988, in New York City, New York. The length was reduced from seven rounds in the previous year to three rounds. This was also the first draft for the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat, prior to their i ...

, and selected Dutch center Rik Smits out of Marist College. The Pacers went through four different head coaches this season; head coach

Jack Ramsay John Travilla Ramsay (February 21, 1925 – April 28, 2014) was an American basketball coach, commonly known as "Dr. Jack" (as he held an earned doctorate). He was best known for leading the Portland Trail Blazers to the 1977 NBA championship, a ...

resigned after an 0–7 start, then after two games under interim coach

Mel Daniels Melvin Joe Daniels (July 20, 1944 – October 30, 2015) was an American professional basketball player. He played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) for the Minnesota Muskies, Indiana Pacers, and Memphis Sounds, and in the National Bask ...

, and 20 games under interim

George Irvine George Irvine may refer to: *George Irvine (politician) (1826–1897), Canadian politician *George Irvine (basketball) (1948–2017), American basketball player and coach *George Irvine (diver), see William Hogarth Main See also

*George Irving ...

, the team hired

Dick Versace Richard Patrick Versace (April 16, 1940 – February 25, 2022) was an American basketball coach and executive. He was also the first American of Puerto Rican descent to have coached a National Basketball Association (NBA) team. Early life Versace ...

as their new coach. At midseason, the team traded Wayman Tisdale to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for

LaSalle Thompson LaSalle Thompson III (born June 23, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player, who spent most of his 15-year career with the Kansas City/Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers. The 6 ft 10 in, 245-pound Thompson spent time at ...

and Randy Wittman, and dealt Herb Williams to the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...

in exchange for German small forward

Detlef Schrempf Detlef Schrempf (born January 21, 1963) is a German-American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Washington Huskies from 1981 to 1985, and was drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA) by the ...

. The Pacers held an 11–35 record at the All-Star break, but played slightly under .500 for the remainder of the season, finishing last place in the Central Division with a 28–54 record.

Chuck Person Chuck Connors Person (born June 28, 1964) is an American former basketball player and coach. Person played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and was the 1987 NBA Rookie of the Year. Person played college basketball at Aubu ...

averaged 21.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, while second-year star

Reggie Miller Reginald Wayne Miller (born August 24, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who played his entire 18-year National Basketball Association (NBA) career with the Indiana Pacers. Miller was known for his precision three-p ...

showed improvement, becoming the team's starting shooting guard, averaging 16.0 points and 1.3 steals per game, Vern Fleming contributed 14.3 points and 6.5 assists per game, and Smits provided the team with 11.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Following the season, Scott Skiles was left unprotected in the 1989 NBA Expansion Draft, where he was selected by the newly expansion

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

Draft picks

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

:z - clinched division title :y - clinched division title :x - clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Player statistics

Season

Player Statistics Citation:

Awards and records

* Rik Smits,

NBA All-Rookie Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for playe ...

1st Team