NBA: Ranking the 11 franchises to never win a championship

3. Indiana Pacers

Best finish: NBA finalist (one time)

Iconic player(s): Reggie Miller, Paul George, Jermaine O’Neal 

Championship outlook: Fair 

The Indiana Pacers were the one Eastern Conference team that nearly ended the Chicago Bulls dynasty in the 1990s, taking Michael Jordan and the Bulls to a Game 7 in the 1997-98 Eastern Conference Finals. Interestingly, they were also one of the biggest threats to the Miami Heat in the LeBron James era.

Even though they are far removed from those teams, the Pacers remain competitive in the Eastern Conference and could very much be on the verge of another special run – if they can manage to re-sign Victor Oladipo.

Indiana has consistently found a way to remain competitive even despite it not being a big-city, “destination” franchise. The Pacers are one of the most-well run franchises in the NBA and have seen their fair share of success (absent of winning a championship). Indiana has made the playoffs in eight of the last nine seasons.