Bob "Slick" Leonard
From Hoopedia
William Robert "Slick" or "Bob" Leonard (born July 17, 1932, in Terre Haute, Indiana) is a former professional basketball player, coach and announcer.
A 6'3" 185-lb guard, Leonard played high school ball at Terre Haute Gerstmeyer and collegiately at Indiana University, where he was a two-time All-American. In 1953 he helped the Hoosiers win the NCAA title.
Leonard was selected with the first pick of the 2nd round of the 1954 NBA Draft. He spent most of his 7-year playing with the Lakers (four years in Minneapolis, and one year in Los Angeles), followed by two years with the Chicago Packers/Zephyrs). In his final season as a player, he also coached the Zephyrs. The next year, the team moved to Baltimore; Leonard coached them for one more year.
In 1969, Leonard became the coach of the American Basketball Association's Indiana Pacers, a position he held for nearly 12 years — the last four after the franchise moved to the NBA. Leonard won 529 games and three ABA championships.
Leonard returned to the Pacers in 1985 as a color commentator, first for TV, then on radio, where he remains. His trademark phrase (for made 3-point shots) is "Boom, Baby!"
Leonard is a member of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame and was the first person inducted into the Indiana University Sports Hall of Fame. He was voted by a national sportswriters and broadcasters association as the ABA’s All-Time Coach. He was honored as a member of Indiana University’s All-Century Basketball Team. In 1999 he was honored as one of Indiana's Fifty Greatest Players.
