I’m back with the second post in a… well… 22 post series of my progress so far in collecting an autograph for every Pacer to play in a regular season game. 22 posts because the Pacers don’t have any former or current players with a last name starting with I, Q, U or X. Maybe that will change in the future.

I posted my first entry in this series back in March of 2021. While the letter A was a pretty manageable list at 14 players, the letter B is much more expansive at 34 players… yikes. I’m going to have to limit what I talk about from the players that are still on my want list.

Autographs of Pacers with Last Name starting with ‘B’ – 6 of 34, 17.6% Complete

A lot of progress to be made here. First, the guys I have.

Leandro Barbosa

Pretty abbreviated autograph here on Barbosa’s SP Authentic rookie. He played for the Pacers just during the 2011-12 season but ended up being a pretty important bench piece during the team’s playoff run, which ended with a 4-2 loss to LeBron, Wade, Bosh, and the Miami Heat.

Barbosa played for Brazil in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics and won a Championship with the Warriors in 2015.

As far as Pacers cards, Barbosa has a Panini Totally Certified jersey card, in red and blue, where he’s pictured as a member of the Pacers. TCDB.com also lists Barbosa with a Pacers card in the 2012-13 Indiana Pacers team set, which I just grabbed off eBay. No certified autographs in a Pacers uniform, though. Unless I can get Barbosa to sign in person (he’s on the Sacramento Kings coaching staff) or through the mail, I’ll settle for the SP Authentic rookie auto, which is a great card.

Maceo Baston

Maceo Baston has only 2 cards, the SP Authentic rookie above, and the parallel of this card /50. I’m pretty sure I picked this card up in a message board trade. I wish I had the exact details on every pickup, and I’ll try to start keeping record of that going forward. I’m guessing I’ve got one of the few signed copies.

Baston started his NBA career with the Raptors, then played with Maccabi Tel Aviv, winning championships there, before signing with the Pacers, playing there for one year. He signed with the Raptors the following year, but the Pacers re-acquired him as part of the Jermaine O’Neal trade.

Jonathan Bender

Bender has a bunch of certified autos in a Pacers uniform. One of the biggest what-ifs in Pacers franchise history, in my opinion, he was exciting to watch when he was on the floor.

I just picked up a 2001-02 Pristine autograph of Bender off COMC, but it’s not in my possession yet. It’ll easily be my favorite Bender auto once it’s here. Probably my favorite autograph set out there. The Ionix autograph is nice, though. I also have a 99-00 SP Authentic Sign of the Times.

Travis Best

I have the most autographs of Best out of any Pacer. Numerous Autographics, but the On Location is my favorite. Only a 10 card set, but somehow the Pacers have two in the set, the other being Austin Croshere. These were really tough pulls from 2000-01 Fleer Futures.

Great idea for an autograph set. The creativity from card manufacturers in the 90s and 2000s continues to amaze me.

Quinn Buckner

Pretty sure this Buckner was an eBay purchase years ago. Currently the color commentator for the Pacers TV broadcast, I decided if I couldn’t pick up a Pacers autograph, I would grab one picturing him from his days at IU. He does have a card in the 1985-86 Star set featured in a Pacers uniform. I could pursue getting that card signed.

Don Buse

I’ll end up sharing several cards from the 2006-07 Upper Deck Chronology set in this series, with the Buse being the first. A 2x All-Star (one in ABA, one in NBA), ABA Champion, and Assist and Steals league leader, Buse has to rate up near the top of Pacers point guards. Really glad to have this one- the Chronology autographs are pretty hard to track down.

The players I am missing, and there are a bunch (28), I’m going to try to group by what type of autographs I will attempt to collect, if I get far enough with the project.

Certified Pacers autographs (6)

Goga Bitazde – Current Pacer, plenty of Panini autographs, lots of choices, would like to grab an on-card autograph if possible.

Brian Bowen – Played for the Pacers for two seasons on two-way contracts. Several Panini autographs from recent years available. Looks like Court Kings is on-card so that may be my preference.

Primoz Brezec – Didn’t get significant time with the Pacers. He did however with the expansion Charlotte Bobcats, where he started 72 games and 79 games in his first two seasons with the franchise. Brezec has a certified autograph from 2004-05 where he’s pictured in a Pacers uniform. I’ll have to snag that one.

More guys that I should be able to grab without issue:

• Oshae Brissett
• Malcolm Brogdon
• Chase Budinger

Certified non-Pacers autographs (7)

Bojan Bogdanovic – Recent favorite of mine. Bojan made me a fan during a short playoff run up against LeBron’s Cavs. Scored 30 points in game three of that series to put the Pacers up 2 games to 1. Definitely a guy I wish had a longer tenure with the Pacers. Bojan doesn’t seem to have a certified autograph where he’s in a Pacers uniform. He has a 2017-18 Prizm Fast Break auto where he’s listed as a Pacer but is shown in a Nets uniform. Even so, not a hard autograph to obtain.

Trevor Booker – An interesting one here. Trevor Booker has just one Pacers card that I can tell. It’s a 2017-18 Panini Instant Playoffs card from the Pacers team set. The print run is 59 on the set. I would really like to track a copy of this card down in an attempt to get it signed. It would be a very unique item to own. Outside of that card, I would otherwise go after a rookie autograph of Booker from 2010-11 Panini Classics. It’s a favorite set of mine from that year.

Jamison Brewer – Drafted in the second round by the Pacers in 2001, same year as Jamaal Tinsley. Stuck with the Pacers for 3 seasons before going to the Knicks. Didn’t get significant minutes. Only certified autographs I see for him are from SAGE products.

Ron Behagen – No Pacers cards, but does have a certified autograph from 2005-06 Topps 1952 Style Fan Favorites pictured with the Kings. I’m sure that card doesn’t pop up often, though. I see one copy on COMC.

Others that I can get, but not easily in a Pacers uniform:

• Aaron Brooks
• Rasual Butler
• Andrew Bynum

This still leaves 15, almost half, without obvious certified autograph cards. Long way to go with the letter B, but that’s the fun in it.

Players with Pacers cards

Mike Bantom – Has several Topps Pacers cards from the late 70s and early 80s. I think my favorite is the 1979-80 Topps. Member of the 1973-74 All-Rookie team and averaged over 15 points a game for the Pacers during the 1977-78 season. Also a member of the 1972 US Olympic team which declined to receive Silver Medals after a scandalous loss in the Gold Medal game to the Soviet Union. The Athletic recently published an article on it, a fascinating read.

John Barnhill – John has a 1971-72 Topps card with the Denver Rockets, where he finished his career. Won a Championship with the 1970 ABA Pacers. TCDB (thanks!) shows a 1971-72 Marathon Oil card showing Barnhill as a Pacer. Slim chance of finding one signed. Maybe a signed copy of the 1971-72 Topps will show up sometime.

Ron Bonham – Didn’t have any cards, period, until he appeared in the 2020 Lana Sports ABA set, and I’m glad he did!

Dudley Bradley – First round pick of the Pacers in 1979 out of UNC and played two seasons with the Pacers. Rookie card with the Pacers in 1980-81 Topps.

Roger Brown – Pacer and ABA All-Time great and Hall of Famer is going to be one of the tougher autographs to acquire, price-wise. Is included in plenty of Topps sets in the 70s.

Tony Brown – A longtime assistant coach and one time interim head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, Tony is included in 1984-85 Star with the Pacers. That was the only season he played for the Pacers, averaging 6.6 points playing in all 82 games. Plenty of signed cards on eBay currently, but none on that Star card. Most popular is a Jazz card from 1991-92 Skybox, and with good reason. That’s a great set to get signed.

Players with Cards, Not Pacers

John Baum – Has a cad in the 1972-73 set, should be able to find a signed copy. Played with the Pacers at the end of his ABA career.

Arthur Becker – Also has a card in 1972-73 Topps, pictured with the San Diego Conquistadors, but unsure if he played a game with San Diego. Won an ABA Championship with the Pacers in 1970.

Mel Bennett – After a two season stint with the Pacers, Mel played in other professional leagues, one being the CBA. He has a card from the CBA, with the Billings Volcanoes. Thanks again, TCDB.

Etdrick Bohannon – Played 5 games with the Pacers during the 1997-98 season. Appears in a single product, 2000-01 Upper Deck MVP.

Brad Branson – Played for the Pacers during the 1982-83 season, averaging 5.5 points per game. Has a few miscellaneous cards, one from his time in the CBA. Again, thanks for the info, TCDB.

Michael Brooks – Spent most of his NBA career with the San Diego Clippers after being drafted in the 1st round of the 1980 draft. Played one season with the Pacers. Has cards in 1980-81 Topps and 1983-84 Star. Sadly passed away in 2016 at the age of 58.

Marty Byrnes – Played the 1982-83 season with the Pacers, and is included on the 1980-81 Team Poster card for the LA Lakers.

No Basketball Cards

Nathaniel (Nate) Barnett – Played twelve games for the Pacers during the 1975-76 season.

Amida Brimah – Played 5 games for the Pacers in 2021. Wasn’t included in any sets as a result.

Another beast of a post to write, but an enjoyable one and very useful one to come back to when I’m trying to add Pacers autographs to my collection. Obviously I’ve got a long, long way to go with the project, but that’s what makes it fun.