Rumors

Just across the way was Rik Smits, who spent the entirety of his 12-year career as a Pacers center and was a member of that 2000 Finals squad. The significance of the franchise finally breaking through for a possible title was top of mind for him. "This franchise really deserves it," Smits said. "We had a lot of great years, but obviously never made it this far. So, I'm just happy for the team, the owners, the whole city. It's a great fan base here. I've always loved playing here, so I would love to see a championship."

ESPN

Jorge Sierra: Jalen Brunson passed Luka Doncic and Dave Cowens in playoff scoring last night for No. 98 in NBA history. Pascal Siakam moved up to No. 122 ahead of... Shawn Kemp Dick Barnett Rik Smits Dave DeBusschere Michael Finley Shawn Marion

Twitter

Jorge Sierra: Jalen Brunson passed all these players in playoff scoring tonight: Adrian Dantley Jerome Kersey Jrue Holiday Charles Oakley Dick Barnett Rik Smits Dave DeBusschere Michael Finley Shawn Kemp Shawn Marion He's No. 117 all-time now.

bsky.app

Alex Golden: Tyrese Haliburton on recording 3 blocks in a game for the 3rd time this season: “I appreciate that Alex, thank you for recognizing that…so it goes: Myles Turner, Rik Smits, Jermaine O’Neal, Roy Hibbert, Tyrese Haliburton. That’s how it’s gonna end when I’m done here…but in my mindset, I’m the 5th best shot blocker in franchise history and you can’t tell me different.”

Twitter

Jorge Sierra: Mike Conley passed Kobe Bryant in assists last night. He's No. 33 all-time now. LeBron James passed Rik Smits in blocks and entered the Top 80 in that category. Just an FYI.

Twitter

Kawhi Leonard moved up from No. 229 to No. 226 in the scoring all-time list after passing Derrick Coleman, Wayman Tisdale, Rik Smits

HoopsHype

Dirk Nowitzki: Walked into a restaurant yesterday and guy comes up and says:” Aren’t you Rik Smits?” Not quite but I appreciated his hoops knowledge…

Twitter

Indiana Pacers: Pacers legends Roy Hibbert and Rik Smits are in the house for tonight’s game against the Wizards 🔥

Twitter

Finally, there is the issue of his size as a whole and how that impacts his longevity as a pro. You know how many players this tall have played 1,000 career games? ZERO, that’s how many. Mark Eaton is the world-record holder for any player 7-3 or taller at 875 games. Ralph Sampson, Rik Smits, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Arvydas Sabonis never got there. Kristaps Porziņģis, at 402 games, is less than halfway there. We’re dealing with a small sample size, obviously, and other slightly shorter players, such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Dikembe Mutombo, had two-decade careers. But the very height that makes Wembanyama so valuable is also likely to impact his career length.

The Athletic

Domantas Sabonis sees the similarities between his dad, The Joker and Smits. “Oh yeah,” he told me. “They definitely have similarities in their games but you know, they’re in two different eras, two completely different players, but I definitely see what they’re saying — those are two amazing guys.”

ScoopB.com

Charles F. Gardner: Rik Smits also here. Reggie Miller not here but taped message for crowd. "Those were unbelievable times," Miller said.

Twitter

Inside two massive garages behind Smits' house on sprawling acres of land and trails in Zionsville are more than 100 motorcycles. Smits' latest acquisition is a beauty, though not visibly. It's a funny-looking concoction. Handmade with an art deco aluminum body built around a stripped Honda 80cc scooter.

Indianapolis Star

Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of other bikes will be at the auction March 8, many going for the highest bid. The decopod, however, will have a minimum selling price, or reserve, though Smits wouldn't reveal what that is. Coinciding with the auction will be a vintage motorcycle swap meet on March 7. People nationwide will come to Lebanon to see what bikes and parts they can get their hands on. Smits will be doing the opposite. He will be seeing what he can get off of his hands. He'd like to scale his bike collection down quite a bit. "I have what you call a collecting disease," Smits said.

Indianapolis Star