Bristol, England native Aaron Eamer is a diehard Pacers fan, and he recently decided to mark his fandom by getting tattoos of Pacers legends and hall-of-famers Reggie Miller and George McGinnis on his right arm. Jim Ayello / IndyStar
INDIANAPOLIS – How is it possible that a teenager from Bristol, England who for half his life only possessed a passing knowledge of basketball and the NBA, became one of the biggest Indiana Pacers fans in the world?
That's a funny story, Aaron Eamer says with a smile. A "happy accident," he calls it.
His journey to becoming a diehard Pacers fan began on a family vacation to the West Coast more than a decade ago. Eamer and his family visited Los Angeles, San Francisco and eventually, Las Vegas.
Fun trip, Eamer remembers with a laugh, except there isn't a whole heck of a lot for a 16-year-old kid to do in Vegas. So one night, while his family was out, Eamer found himself channel-surfing on his hotel room TV. The surfing came to an abrupt halt when he came across a basketball game.
Eamer had played some hoops as a kid but never had much interest in it. He was no different that most kids in Europe, where soccer is king. But for some reason, on this night, what he was seeing on TV enchanted him.
Eamer soaked in the fast-paced action and began to fall in love with the quick ball movement and charisma of the players. About halfway through this fascinating game, however, Eamer realized he wasn't rooting for anyone. That's no way to watch sports, he thought.
"I decided whoever wins the game, I'll support them," Eamer said.
On Friday, April 9, 2004, behind a 24-point effort from Ron Artest, the Indiana Pacers defeated the New Jersey Nets 90-80 to secure their 59th win of the season – and a Pacers fan for life.
After Eamer returned to England, he bought the video game "NBA Live 2005," joined a youth hoops team and started to watch as much basketball as he could.
"My fandom has grown from there," the now 30-year-old Eamer told IndyStar ahead of the Pacers game Friday against Detroit.
Actually, his fandom has grown by leaps and bounds since then. Eamer is now a diehard fan who often stays up until the wee hours of the morning to watch Pacers games that don't usually tip off until around midnight in England.
It wasn't until last year, though, that Eamer decided he had to see his favorite team in person. He used more than half of his vacation time to catch an eight-game home stand. Of course, he also followed the Pacers to London when they played there last season.
This year, once again using his vacation time – Eamer is an assistant manager at a bank – he traveled back across the pond for the Pacers' recent home stand. But this time he showed up with something that might just be the envy of Pacers fans worldwide.
On the inside of his forearm is a tattoo of Pacers legend and hall-of-famer Reggie Miller. But it's not just any picture of Miller, it's that legendary pose of Miller clutching his throat, taunting New York Knicks fan Spike Lee during the fourth quarter of Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals.
"It's the iconic Reggie Miller image," Eamer said when asked why he chose that particular pose to me memorialized on his arm. "Everybody that knows Indiana knows that moment."
On the back of Eamer's forearm, he also has a George McGinnis tattoo. It's not quite finished yet, but then again, neither is Eamer.
"Soon, I want to have the entire arm be one big Pacers tattoo," Eamer said, before listing some of the players he plans to add, including Jermaine O'Neal, Rik Smits and Roger Brown.
Unsurprisingly, the tattoos and his second 4,000-mile trek to Indianapolis recently caught the attention of some Pacers personnel, and they decided to invite him to attend the All-Star Game announcement this past Wednesday.
He met team owner Herb Simon, who was amazed Eamer had come all this way just to watch his team. Simon told Eamer to go to the team shop and pick out anything and everything he wanted. A little later, Simon's daughters approached Eamer and told him that anytime he needed tickets, just let them know and they could sort him out. That's when Herb Simon jumped back in and said, "That includes the 2021 All-Star Game."
Somehow the craziness doesn't end there, though.
While at the celebration, Eamer also was introduced to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who asked Eamer if he was planning to attend this year's game in London between the Celtics and 76es. Eamer said he tried to secure tickets but the game sold out quickly.
Without hesitation, Eamer said, Silver beckoned to one of his assistants and told Eamer to give him his information.
"You're going now," Eamer remembers Silver saying. "You'll be my guest."
Of course, Eamer still can't believe his luck. He had no idea when he planned his trip months ago that Indiana was getting the 2021 All-Star Game let alone that this would be the week they announced it.
But, Eamer said, he's not totally surprised all this has happened. Ever since he first came to Indiana last year, he's experienced nothing but generosity and kindness from everyone associated with the Pacers.
"I'm really happy to be a Pacers fan," Eamer said. "Everybody I've met, both the fans and the people linked to the team, have been really, really accommodating. They've been so generous and tried to make my trips better by showing me as much as possible. ... It's been great."
And to think, this all started with a random basketball game on TV in a Las Vegas hotel room.
Eamer on Paul George
"While he was here, he was a very good player and one of the best we've had in a number of years. But when you say, 'Hey, I want to win a championship with Indiana' then a week later you say, 'Yeah I want to leave,' you're going to annoy some people."
On one of his first encounters with basketball
"Space Jam. Who doesn't love that movie? That film is just amazing. I just watched it a few months ago. It was always fun to watch, but actually beginning to watch real basketball on TV began to build that interest.
On the Pacers low attendance numbers
"It's frustrating for me, because I just want to be here for every game. Back home, turning games on at midnight or 1 a.m. (a 7. p.m. start in Indiana is a midnight start in Bristol, England) or whatever to watch as many games I can and then seeing empty seats on the screen is really frustrating just knowing I could be sitting in that seat. It's frustrating to people (around Indiana) aren't taking the opportunity to get to these games."
Leaf assigned to Mad Ants
The Pacers No. 1 pick in the 2017 NBA draft, T.J. Leaf, as well as second-rounder Ike Anigbogu were assigned to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants on Saturday, as the the Pacers’ G-League affiliate prepares to begin a three-game home stand. This is the first time this season Leaf will play for the Mad Ants.
“We just want him to go down and play and get some minutes,” Pacers coach Nate McMillan said after practice Saturday. “That’s going to be the best way for guys to develop and get better is to get some time on the floor. So both he and Ike will be down there for a couple games.”
Over the past five games, Leaf played in just 18 minutes and scored five points to go along with four rebounds.
Anigbogu hasn’t played NBA minutes since the Pacers’ Nov. 12 game against Houston.
3 things to know about Sunday’s opponent, the 11-17 Brooklyn Nets:
1. After the Pacers and Nets played one of the fastest paced games in NBA history in the season-opener -- a 140-131 win for Indiana -- Brooklyn hasn’t slowed down very much. According to NBA.com, only the Lakers and Suns play at higher tempo than do the Nets. Meanwhile, the Pacers are 11th in the league, so expect another track meet on Sunday.
2. A former No. 2 overall pick of the Lakers, D’Angelo Russell is enjoying his best year as a pro in his debut season with the Nets. In this his junior year, Russell is averaging a team and career-best 20.9 points per game to go along with 5.7 assists and 4.7 rebounds. He proved a handful for the Pacers during the season opener, scoring a game-high 30 points, as he knocked down 4-of-8 3-pointers.
3. Brooklyn has dropped three of its past four games, including getting blown out in Toronto on Friday, 120-87. With a 6-8 record at the Barclays Center this season, the Nets are one of just five teams in the Eastern Conference with a sub-.500 record at home, joining the Heat, Magic, Bulls and Hawks.
More Pacers:
- This time, Pacers late rally comes up short vs. Pistons
- Insider: Giving up too many second-chance points hurting Pacers on consistent basis
- Pacers, Volunteers team up for Million Meal Movement
Follow IndyStar Sports reporter Jim Ayello on Twitter and Instagram: @jimayello.
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