1. William Robert "Slick" Leonard was an American professional basketball player, coach and color commentator.
20 Facts About Bobby Leonard
1. 2.
Bobby Leonard played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers, where he was a two-time All-American and a member of their national championship squad in 1953.
3.
Bobby Leonard was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 2014.
4.
Bobby Leonard was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, on July 17,1932.
5.
Bobby Leonard was shaped by the basketball games played in his neighborhood that saw him toughen up.
6.
Bobby Leonard went on to play collegiate basketball at Indiana University Bloomington, where he hit the game winning free throw to give the Hoosiers the 1953 NCAA championship.
7.
Bobby Leonard was named a third-team All-American in 1953 and selected to the second team the following season.
8.
Bobby Leonard was selected by the Baltimore Bullets with the first pick of the second round of the 1954 NBA draft.
9.
Bobby Leonard quit the Bullets when they refused to give him a multiyear contract.
10.
When Brown thought he was bluffing, Bobby Leonard stayed true to his word and left him at home, which motivated Brown to play better.
11.
From 1976 to 1980, Bobby Leonard served as general manager, where he worked in tandem with his wife Nancy, who handled the administrative duties as assistant general manager.
12.
Bobby Leonard returned to the Pacers in 1985 as a color commentator, first for television with Jerry Baker, then on radio with Mark Boyle on WIBC 1070 AM.
13.
Bobby Leonard first said the phrase in the aftermath of a playoff game where Billy Keller drained a three-point shot to win the game for Indiana.
14.
Bobby Leonard suffered a heart attack on March 13,2011, shortly after a Pacers' road victory over the New York Knicks.
15.
Bobby Leonard was later said to be in good condition, but was given an indefinite time to recover, and was filled in for by Pacers TV analyst and former player Austin Croshere.
16.
Bobby Leonard was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 2014.
17.
Bobby Leonard became the first individual to be inducted into the Indiana University Sports Hall of Fame.
18.
Bobby Leonard was a member of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame and Indiana Sports Writers and Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
19.
Bobby Leonard died on April 13,2021, at the age of 88.
20.
Bobby Leonard met his wife Nancy during his time in college.