Rick Carlisle
Getty
The Pacers officially announced a multi-year contract extension for head coach Rick Carlisle
The Indiana Pacers came up just short of winning the 2025 NBA Finals, as they lost in seven games to the Oklahoma City Thunder. While the loss was made even more difficult to endure after star point guard Tyrese Haliburton suffered a torn Achilles tendon early in Game 7, the team isn’t holding it against their head coach, Rick Carlisle.
In the four seasons since he returned to the Pacers for his second stint as their head coach, Carlisle has transformed the team into a dynamic, high-flying squad that puts up tons of points on a nightly basis. Losing in the Finals is tough, but as Indiana’s latest announcement shows, they believe wholeheartedly in Carlisle’s ability to lead the team forward.
Pacers Announce Rick Carlisle Contract Extension
Carlisle has been coaching in the NBA since the 1989-90 season, when he was an assistant for the New Jersey Nets. He got his first head coaching gig with the Detroit Pistons in the 2001-02 campaign before he found his way to the Pacers. Carlisle is most well-known for his 13-year stint with the Dallas Mavericks, where he led them to victory in the 2011 NBA Finals.
Indiana’s decision to reunite with Carlisle ahead of the 2021-22 campaign was a bit of a surprise, but he’s quickly turned the Pacers into a powerhouse. The Pacers have improved each year under Carlisle, and after their surprise run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2024, they went on one of the most thrilling postseason runs of all time in 2025, even though they ultimately came up just short of their main goal.
There are several question marks surrounding Indiana ahead of the 2025-26 season. Haliburton will miss the entire season as he recovers from his latest injury, and the team also lost a key piece in Myles Turner after he departed for the Milwaukee Bucks in free agency. As long as Carlisle is in town, though, the Pacers should remain competitive, and it doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere anytime soon, as the team announced a new multi-year contract extension for him on Tuesday.
“We have signed head coach Rick Carlisle to a multi-year extension,” the Pacers shared in a post on X.
Rick Carlisle, Pacers Set for Season Full of Unknowns
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle against Knicks
Getty Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle reacts to a call during the fourth quarter against the New York Knicks in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Second Round Playoffs at Madison Square Garden.
Where Indiana goes from their crushing Finals defeat is unknown. Haliburton’s injury has thrown everything up in the air, and until he returns, it feels like the Pacers won’t have a shot at competing for another title. However, it is worth remembering the Pacers gave the eventual champion Boston Celtics a real run for their money in the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals, even though Haliburton missed the majority of the series.
Carlisle has found a way to get the most out of every player on his roster, and that seems set to continue, even without Haliburton at his disposal. Indiana may not compete for a title like they did this past season, but with Carlisle manning the sideline, there’s no doubt that the Pacers are going to continue giving their opponents everything they can handle in the upcoming campaign.