Bobby “Slick” Leonard, an ABA Pacers legend, Hoosier institution and Naismith Hall of Famer, died Tuesday, April 13. After I received the news I spoke to Neto and he recommended that I call some other people Slick was close to and gauge their reflections as well. I spoke to three men who were as close to Slick as anyone these last ten years, Ted Green, John Abrams, and Scott Tartar from the Dropping Dimes foundation. All three have been featured in my past columns as has the Dropping Dimes foundation. The Indianapolis-based organization has done more to protect, promote and preserve the legacy of the ABA and it’s former player personnel than anyone, including the NBA, over the past decade. None of these ABA players have received their promised pension from the NBA and many of them have fallen on hard times lately. Neto, along with Slick and Nancy Leonard, are on the Dropping Dimes board of directors.
Ted Green, perhaps the most influential sports documentarian/filmmaker in Indianapolis today, is one of three board members of the Dropping Dimes Foundation. I spoke with Ted at 4:15 April 17 and, as fate would have it, Ted’s film Bobby “Slick” Leonard Heart of a Hoosier was airing on PBS at that same moment. Ted has a long relationship with both Mr. and Mrs. Leonard. Ted informed me that he spoke to Slick two weeks before after Slick called to say “he had some stuff he wanted to get on tape essentially before it was too late, and we were looking for a time for me to go out there and record him.” Like anyone who experiences this type of sudden loss, Ted was left to wonder what that conversation might have been like and what on earth Slick wanted to get off his chest.
Ted learned the news from Nancy on Tuesday morning when he placed a follow-up call to Slick to make plans for their next meeting, unaware that anything had changed. “I called Nancy and I could tell she was just not herself. I asked if everything was all right and she said, “No, he’s gone.” I was thunderstruck. Slick had survived so many things; a heart attack, a plane crash, COVID… I thought he’d be around forever.” Ted continued, “I make these films and I realize they are legacy pieces, but it doesn’t seem like it when we were making them. I was fortunate enough to make the Eva Kor film a year before she passed and Slick’s film came out seven years ago. So luckily they were able to see their story.” I know from personal experience that whenever Ted’s name came up in conversation, with Nancy especially, the Leonards’ spoke of him like family.
Ted’s next film, due out in the spring or summer of 2022, will be on Anderson native and former Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Carl Erskine. “I’m pretty sure I got the very last interview with Slick 3-4 weeks ago for my upcoming Erskine documentary.” Ted said, “Funny thing, when I first went to to interview Slick all those years ago, I walked in and there he sat, reading a paper in his lounge chair. He peeked over the paper and said, “Boy, you’re doing a film on the wrong guy. You need to be making a film on Carl Erskine, not me. So when I started filming the Erskine documentary, I told Slick, ‘It only took me seven years but I finally took your advice.’ Slick was so excited when I told him. He started telling me stories about how he first saw Erskine as a young pitcher in the Three-I league in Terre Haute back when Slick was selling popcorn and Coca-Colas to fans in the stands as a kid.” Ted considered himself fortunate to have witnessed that scene and declared it as “So Slick.” “His eyes lit up. He was just like a little kid. You know, he never lost that.” Ted stopped to reflect, “His last interview was not about himself, which was so Slick. He was always shining the light on someone else.”
Next I spoke to Dr. John Abrams, another Dropping Dimes board member. Abrams is the biggest name in Circle City sports ophthalmology. He is the team ophthalmologist for the Indiana Pacers, Indiana Fever, University of Indianapolis and Butler University. He is also Tournament Ophthalmologist for the NCAA and Big Ten Championships when held in Indianapolis. Dr. Abrams assists the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and provides consultation to many IndyCar racing teams.
Dr. Abrams’ relationship with Slick goes back 47 years, when he was a ballboy for the ABA Indiana Pacers from 1974 to 1976. “Back then, I was just a kid. My only relationship with Slick was to bring him black coffee and keep it coming. He was very serious, very intense before games. We never spoke, he was all business when he was coaching.” Abrams returned to the Pacers in a big way after graduating with honors from Indiana University in 1980, Slick’s last year as Pacers coach. “I came back as team eye physician and surgeon on the medical staff (aka team ophthalmologist).” Like Ted, whenever Dr. Abrams’ name came up in conversation with Nancy or Slick, they spoke of him like a son and rattled off his accomplishments like they would one of their own children.
Dr. Abrams shared how “On my fiftieth birthday years ago, Slick and Nancy came to my party and surprised me with a piece of the net from third and final ABA championship. He knew I was a collector and it remains among my most cherished possessions. Just last January, Slick called me on my birthday and sang me happy birthday. He had an unbelievable ability to relate to people.” Abrams closed by saying, “I remember him calling me early this year and telling me, ‘Johnny, I have a great gig. (during Pacers games) I call in before the game, again at halftime, and then after the game.’ Nancy and I used to joke that he was on his seventh life. He was not just one cat with nine lives, he was two cats on his eleventh or twelfth life.”
Scott Tarter, a partner with the Bose, McKinney & Evans law firm in the city, is the third board member of the Dropping Dimes Foundation and, as with the others, Scott was stunned and deeply saddened by Slick’s passing. Scott credits Slick as an impetus in the formation of the foundation. Scott recalled visiting the Leonard home in 2014 to discuss the idea of forming a non-profit to benefit the former ABA players. “Mel (Daniels) was there along with Neto, Slick and Nancy and the three of us.” Scott recalled. “We were laughing and telling stories before we pitched the idea. Slick got serious and said ‘You really need to help those boys out’ and then later as we were leaving, Nancy kissed me on the cheek and whispered the very same thing into my ear. That was the moment I knew we had to get this thing done. ”
As it happened, that same year, Slick invited the Dropping Dimes trio to attend his induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. Scott related how he and John Abrams came up with the name of the organization while on that trip. “We rented a car and while I was driving we got pulled over by a State Trooper for speeding. Luckily, I got away with only a warning but at that moment, it occurred to me that we should name it Dropping Dimes. After some wrangling and cajoling, I was able to convince John that it was a proper fit. After all, dropping a dime is another term for an assist in basketball.”
We ended our conversation talking about the thing that most fans remember about the league Slick Leonard made famous: the red, white and blue basketball. The Dropping Dimes Foundation has created a unique opportunity for fans to get involved with their foundation and get their very own ABA basketball along the way. The details can be found on their webpage, droppingdimes.org. The ABA replica basketball is exact in every detail to the original except that this ball features the endorsement of honorary Commissioner “Slick Pinkham,” the 190th and final overall pick of the Indiana Pacers in the 1971 ABA draft. To this day, Slick remains the only fictitious character to be officially selected into a major pro basketball league.
Legend has it that the onomatopoeic name has a direct link to Dick Tinkham and Slick Leonard. The story goes that during the monotony of the 1971 ABA draft, the reigning ABA Champion Indiana Pacers were a little miffed that they were still selecting players after 19 rounds. Who can blame them? They had already selected George McGinnis and Darnell Hillman earlier. By the time the 20th round came up ABA lore claims that an exasperated Pacers GM John Weissert, Coach Bobby Leonard, and Pacers exec Dick Tinkham submitted the amalgamated name of Slick Pinkham as the final pick. To further confuse league officials, the trio claimed their fictional player was a redshirt freshman from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, making it almost impossible to verify at a moments notice. Legends are hard to prove, but you have got to admit, that sounds like Slick now doesn’t it?
Al Hunter is the author of the “Haunted Indianapolis” and co-author of the “Haunted Irvington” and “Indiana National Road” book series. His newest books are “Bumps in the Night. Stories from the Weekly View,” “Irvington Haunts. The Tour Guide,” and “The Mystery of the H.H. Holmes Collection.” Contact Al directly at Huntvault@aol.com or become a friend on Facebook.
