INDIANAPOLIS — Over 23 years as an NBA head coach, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle has forced himself to become more comfortable delegating duties to his staff, even if it means stepping away for a day. That’s why he’s assembled a veteran staff that includes former head coaches from the NBA and WNBA who could take over if need be.
In recent seasons, Carlisle has taken advantage of that experience a few times so he could be present for non-basketball related life events, and he’ll do that again this season. In October of 2022, he missed a game so he could be at his daughter Abby’s Senior Night as a high school cheerleader. This year, he’ll miss another game for a college event.
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Carlisle said at Pacers Media Day on Monday that he will not be at the Pacers’ Oct. 17 preseason game against the Spurs in San Antonio and will instead lead assistant coach Lloyd Pierce will take the helm. Carlisle said he will be attending Abby’s Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority parents formal at the University of Virginia.
Pierce was the head coach of the Hawks for two plus seasons from 2018-21. When Pierce took the helm on Oct. 28, 2022, the Pacers beat the Wizards 127-117.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Rick Carlisle to miss Pacers preseason game for daughter’s sorority event