INDIANAPOLIS -- Rick Carlisle has been around the Indiana Pacers long enough to see the franchise from several different perspectives.

He was an assistant coach when Reggie Miller, Dale Davis and the Pacers were making annual trips deep into the playoffs in the late 1990s. He returned to Indiana as head coach in 2003, coaching Miller and Davis again, before the two retired.

More than two decades later, Carlisle is still here, now coaching a different generation of Pacers, one led by Tyrese Haliburton.

The years separarting those teams haven't kept them from becoming connected.

Indiana has made an effort to keep former players involved with the franchise, whether through appearances at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, team events or conversations with the current roster. Carlisle has welcome those opportunities, in part because many of those former Pacersare players he coached himself.

"I love the way that our digital people involve the past generations," Carlisle said.

One of the most visible examples has been Miller's growing relationship with Haliburton.

The Pacers recently brought the two together for a lengthy conversation about their careers, postseason experiences and what it means to play basketball in Indiana. Carlisle has watched some of these interactions from a distance and understands the significance of connecting one of the most important players in franchise history with the player who has helped lead its latest era.

"I've seen the stuff with Reggie and Tyrese," Carlisle said. "It's excellent."

Miller isn't the only former Pacer who has remained connected.

When Dale Davis visited last season, Carlisle invited him to speak with the team. Davis was never known for saying much, but Carlisle believed that was part of what made his message valuable.

"He's not a guy of a lot of words to begin with, and that's one of the things that always made him such an intimidating force for the Pacers," Carlisle said. "If you had a situation where you had one defensive possession and you had to get one rebound, I don't know of another guy than Dale Davis that you would want to be in that position."

Carlisle couldn't help but smile when reflecting on his former player. He referred to Davis as a "battle-tested warrior for the franchise," the perfect description of who he was as a Pacer.

Other relationships have endured as well.

Carlisle still sees former Pacers forward Derrick McKey at games. He exchanges messages with Ron Artest and remains in contact with Jermaine O'Neal. His work in the NBA also provides opportunities to see Miller, now one of the league's most recognizable television analysts.

"I've always had great appreciation for all those guys," Carlisle said.

In some ways, Carlisle has become the natural connection between the two eras.

He was on Larry Bird's staff when Indiana reached three consecutive Eastern Conference Finals from 1998 through 2000, concluding with the franchise's first NBA Finals appearance.

When Carlisle returned as a head coach in 2003, many of the faces had changed, but Miller remained. Carlisle coached him during a franchise-record 61-win season in 2003-04 and was on the sideline for the final game of Miller's career the following year.

Carlisle returned to Indiana once again in 2021, and inherited a roster that had met its limit. This led to a franchise-altering trade, that landed the Pacers a new face in Haliburton.

Once the Pacers acquired the All-NBA guard, a shift began to happen within the organization.

Haliburton's elite talent and charismatic personality helped land the Pacers on the map in 2023, and a special relationship began to develop between Miller and himself.

For Haliburton, there are still moments when the context of that friendship are difficult to comprehend.

"It's a special bond," Haliburton said. "I'd be lying if I said it wasn't. I sometimes have to pinch myself and believe that it's a real thing."

Haliburton was recently reminded of that by one of his former math teachers, who sent him a message reflecting on how far his basketball career had taken him.

"We never thought you would have made it to the NBA, look at you, you're there with Reggie," Haliburton recalled his teacher writing. "How amazing is that?"

It caused Haliburton to stop and consider something that has gradually become normal to him.

"There are times where I have to take a step back and see where I am in life," Haliburton said. "I can't believe it's even a real thing."

Their relationship extends well beyond public appearances.

Haliburton said he and Miller speak regularly, and Miller has become someone he can seek out for advice. When Haliburton was in Los Angeles, he returned the support by speaking to Miller's son's football team.

More importantly, Miller has been there during the difficult stretches.

Haliburton said one of the lessons of the past 16 months has been discovering which people reach out not simply to ask about his physical condition, but to see how he's doing personally.

Miller has been one of them.

"Reggie's one of those guys who reaches out to me constantly, checks on me," Haliburton said. "I don't have any other word for it except it's just very special."

That may ultimately be the value in keeping differnet gerneations of a franchise connected.

Miller's career ended years before Haliburton entered the league. Davis, McKey, Artest and O'Neal played for Pacers teams built for a different era of basketball.

Carlisle has a history with all of them.

He was there as an assistant coach when Miller and Davis were helping establish Indiana as in Eastern Conference contender. He was Miller's head coach when one of the greatest careers in franchise history came to an end. And now he is coaching Haliburton, while watching a relationship between the two stars grow.

Former Pacers can return to Indianapolis and share what they learned, while today's players have access to people who understand the expectations that come with representing the same franchise.

For Haliburton, that has meant having one of the greatest players in Pacers history become something more than a name hanging in the rafter. He's become someone he can call a friend.

You can follow me on X @AlexGoldenNBA and listen to my daily podcast, Setting The Pace, wherever you get your podcasts.

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