Category: Indiana Pacers Blog

A nanny and chauffeur who lost their suit against Indiana Pacers owner Herb Simon and his wife have lost even more.

A Los Angeles judge ordered them Wednesday to pay $122,000 in attorney’s fees to the Simons.

The judge ruled in September that the employment suit was groundless, holding that the billionaire and his former beauty queen wife, Bui, were extremely generous with nanny Claudia Leite (lye-TAY’) and chauffeur Robert Young.

— Reported by the Associated Press

“He’s clowning around a lot less, which is helpful in practice,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. “His interaction with his teammates is solid. He’s not pointing fingers and making faces like he did last year. We’ve seen a lot of maturation from him this year.”

Stephenson averaged almost 11 minutes in the two preseason games, totaling three assists, three rebounds and six points.

“I thought he played within himself on most possessions, which is probably the biggest area he has to improve in,” Vogel said. “And then growing on the defensive end, being in the right spots all the time.”

Stephenson has tried to tone down his game on the court, trading in flashy, street ball-type passes for the simple, safe pass.

“Last year I used to force stuff,” Stephenson said. “I see now if you make the simple pass, it matters more.”

— Via Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star

CNO Financial Group, Inc. and Pacers Sports & Entertainment today jointly announced that Conseco Fieldhouse will now be Bankers Life Fieldhouse.  In addition to being home to the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever, the Fieldhouse is host to more than 500 events annually, including over 200 major events, concerts and many other world-class entertainment events, attracting nearly two million guests a year.

CNO Financial Group, formerly Conseco, is in the 13th year of a 20-year naming rights partnership for the Fieldhouse.  Bankers Life and Casualty Company (Bankers Life) is CNO’s largest subsidiary, providing health and life insurance products to the pre- and post-retirement market across the U.S.

“We are very excited to announce the renamed Bankers Life Fieldhouse,” said Ed Bonach, CEO of CNO Financial Group.  “Bankers Life is CNO’s most significant consumer-facing brand, a long-established company and national market leader, with more than 5,600 agents and field employees serving over 1.3 million policyholders.  It was ultimately the appropriate choice to represent CNO’s values, brand promise and commitment to community on the highly-regarded Fieldhouse.”

The renaming presents a strong branding opportunity for Bankers Life, considering the national reach of the Indiana Pacers, Indiana Fever, and other events, along with the recognizable stature of the Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis. Opened in November, 1999, Bankers Life Fieldhouse is continually recognized as one of the premier facilities in the country.

“Since the inception of this building, we have enjoyed an outstanding relationship with our partner, CNO Financial Group,” stated Jim Morris, president of Pacers Sports & Entertainment. “We are excited with this change and look forward to continued success for Bankers Life Fieldhouse and Pacers Sports & Entertainment for many, many years.”

Branding of the Fieldhouse along with all appropriate signage changes has begun, with completion expected in early 2012.

The Indiana Pacers announced Saturday the re-signing of veteran forward/center Jeff Foster to a contract. The Pacers also announced the signing of free agent forward/center Jeff Pendergraph to a contract along with four NBA Development League players, Jarrid Famous, Tyren Johnson, Darnell Lazare and Matt Rogers. Per club policy no terms of the contracts.

The 6-11, 250-pound Foster, a free agent, has been with the Pacers his entire career. He has career averages of 4.9 points per game and 6.9 rebounds. Foster is among the Pacers’ top 10 in 11 different statistical categories.

“Jeff Foster has been and is the kind of player we want in our uniform,” said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird. “His work ethic, his competitiveness, his hustle, the spark he brings to a game and his locker room presence set an example for every player. We are elated to have him back.”

“This has been my home and I’m glad to be staying home,” said Foster. “Very few modern-day athletes have the opportunity to play their entire career in one city. I’m honored to have such a great opportunity in such a great city.”

Pendergraph, 6-9, 240 pounds out of Arizona State, was a second-round draft pick of the Sacramento Kings in the 2009 NBA Draft, but traded on draft night to Portland. As a rookie with the Blazers, he played 39 games with averages of 2.7 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. During the 2010 preseason, he suffered a torn ACL in his right knee and was waived by the Blazers.

“We’re very happy to have Jeff on our team,” said Bird. “He’s got size, power and a competitiveness we’re looking for. After being out last season, he’s healthy, fit and ready to help us achieve our goals.”

Lazare comes from the Pacers’ D-League affiliate in Fort Wayne. The 6-8, 240-pound forward from Louisiana State has played in four games with averages of 19.2 points and 8 rebounds. Johnson, 6-8, 224, from Louisiana-Lafayette, appeared in seven games for Rio Grande with averages of 18.1 points and 6.1 rebounds. Famous is a 6-11, 240-center from South Florida, who played in six games for Iowa and was ninth in league scoring at 21 ppg and fourth in rebounding at 12.2. Rogers is a 6-11, 225-pound center who was in four games with Texas with averages of 9.3 ppg and 5.8 rpg.