Overview

• Leonard’s children said she died peacefully in her sleep after months of declining health at the age of 93.
• She served as the Pacers’ assistant general manager from 1976 to 1980 during the ABA–NBA transition, largely overseeing administrative operations.
• In 1977 she conceived and helped lead the televised “Save the Pacers” telethon that sold more than 8,000 season tickets to keep the team in Indianapolis.
• Pacers ownership said the franchise “would not be here without her,” lauding her decades-long leadership and presence around the team.
• Tyrese Haliburton called her the “First Lady of Indiana basketball” in a tribute and noted she remained a courtside fixture into the Pacers’ 2025 NBA Finals run.