Nancy Leonard, a beloved leader of the Indiana Pacers franchise who helped save it from financial ruin during its ABA-NBA transition, has died at 93, her family said.

Leonard’s family released a statement through the IndyStar saying the matriarch's health steadily declined in recent months and she died Tuesday.

“Before every game, I knew I could count on a wink and smile behind the bench,” Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton wrote on social media. “There is no Pacers basketball without Nancy Leonard. Can’t wait to see the day her name is in the rafters where it belongs.”

Leonard, who was married to late Hall of Fame Pacers coach Bobby “Slick” Leonard , was the Pacers' assistant general manager from 1976 to 1980.

She and her husband were credited with the idea to run a season-ticket telet

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