Reggie Miller Made “Boom Baby” Sound Like Indiana Basketball
The phrase began with Slick Leonard decades before Reggie Miller reached Indianapolis, but Miller’s three-pointers transformed it into one of the clearest sounds in Pacers memory — a connection the franchise is still building into its identity today.
Long before social media turned every three-pointer into a clip, Indiana basketball had an audio cue. The ball left a Pacers shooter’s hands, dropped through the net and Bobby “Slick” Leonard supplied the punctuation: “Boom Baby!”
The phrase now feels so deeply connected to Reggie Miller that it is easy to assume he created it. He did not. Pacers history traces the first “Boom Baby!” to 1973, when Leonard was coaching Indiana in the ABA playoffs and Billy Keller hit a dramatic game-winning three in Denver. Leonard shouted “Boom!” and then, almost instinctively, added “Baby.”
Years later, when Slick moved into broadcasting, the spontaneous coaching reaction became his signature call for Indiana three-pointers. Then Miller arrived in 1987 and spent nearly two decades giving Leonard opportunities to use it at exactly the moments Pacers fans would never forget.
“Boom Baby” was Slick Leonard’s call. Reggie Miller turned it into a soundtrack for an era.
The Phrase Started Before Reggie Miller
That distinction matters because “Boom Baby” tells a much longer Indiana story than a normal player catchphrase. It reaches back to the Pacers’ ABA championship years, through Leonard’s transition from coach to broadcaster and into an NBA era when the franchise was still building its national identity.
Leonard eventually used the call after virtually every Pacers three. If the shot was especially important, he could add another “Boom,” sometimes turning the phrase into a three-part explosion. Miller even used to ask Slick after games whether a particular basket had earned him the triple treatment.
The power of the phrase came from repetition. Pacers fans did not simply read “Boom Baby.” They learned to anticipate when they were about to hear it.
Then Reggie Gave the Call Its Most Dangerous Shooter
Miller’s game was practically designed for a signature three-point call. His release was quick. His movement without the ball constantly created late defensive panic. Most importantly, his biggest shots tended to arrive when an arena was already emotionally unstable.
No sequence explains the mythology better than May 7, 1995 at Madison Square Garden. Indiana trailed New York late in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Miller hit a three, stole the inbound, stepped behind the line and hit another. After two missed John Starks free throws and a Patrick Ewing miss, Miller made two foul shots.
Eight points. 8.9 seconds. Pacers win 107–105.
That performance is why Miller memories rarely feel quiet. His relationship with New York, Spike Lee and playoff pressure turned made shots into theater. Slick Leonard’s call fit because it sounded like the verbal version of a Reggie three: immediate, explosive and impossible to ignore.
Indiana Is Still Printing “Boom Baby” Into the Franchise
What makes the phrase especially relevant now is that the Pacers have not treated it as museum material. Their current Statement Edition includes a “Boom Baby!” jock tag specifically honoring Leonard. The 2025–26 City Edition also placed the phrase into the uniform and court story, including “Boom Baby” on the baseline.
The franchise’s G League affiliate pushed the idea even further in 2025 by becoming the Noblesville Boom. Pacers Sports & Entertainment explicitly connected the new name to Leonard’s phrase, effectively turning two words from an old broadcast into the identity of an entire basketball team.
That is why “Boom Baby” continues to work across generations. Older fans can hear Slick’s voice and picture Miller sliding behind the line. Younger fans encounter the phrase on current uniforms, court graphics and new franchise branding without needing to have watched a 1990s game live.
Why the Minimalist Reggie Miller Graphic Works
The Boom Baby Shirt deliberately avoids turning that history into a complicated collage. There is no Miller portrait, no Madison Square Garden background and no attempt to recreate a specific jump shot.
Instead, the design trusts the phrase. A wide gold rectangle sits across a royal or navy field. Condensed dark-blue letters lean forward, making “BOOM BABY” look like it is already moving before the viewer finishes reading it. Thin white speed lines cut through the upper section of the type like an old broadcast graphic or vintage sports package.
A typography-first blue-and-gold treatment lets Slick Leonard’s two-word call carry decades of Miller-era Pacers memory without over-explaining it.
View the legacy piece →A Phrase That Connects Two Different Pacers Eras
Sports franchises often struggle to connect nostalgia to the present without simply reproducing an old logo. Indiana has something more useful: language. “Boom Baby” can move from Leonard to Miller, from a 1990s radio call to a 2026 jersey detail, and still mean essentially the same thing.
That broader timeline lives throughout Ellie Shirt’s Indiana Pacers collection, while the NBA collection places Indiana’s history inside the wider league archive. For Miller-specific designs, the Reggie Miller search archive follows one of the franchise’s most recognizable figures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Reggie Miller invent “Boom Baby”?
No. Bobby “Slick” Leonard originated the phrase during the Pacers’ ABA era and later used it as his signature broadcast call for Indiana three-pointers.
Why is “Boom Baby” associated with Reggie Miller?
Miller’s three-point shooting and clutch performances gave Leonard countless memorable opportunities to use the call during one of the defining eras of Pacers basketball.
What is Reggie Miller’s eight points in 8.9 seconds moment?
On May 7, 1995, Miller scored eight points in 8.9 seconds as Indiana erased a late deficit and beat the New York Knicks 107–105 at Madison Square Garden.
Is “Boom Baby” still part of the Pacers today?
Yes. The phrase remains visible in current Pacers uniform and court design and also inspired the Noblesville Boom name for Indiana’s G League affiliate.
Why does the Boom Baby design use only typography?
The phrase already carries strong Indiana basketball recognition, so the graphic can rely on Pacers blue-and-gold colors, speed lines and bold type instead of a player portrait.
The Boom Baby graphic preserves the language of Reggie Miller-era Indiana basketball, while the Pacers archive follows the franchise from classic playoff memories into its current generation.
Boom Baby Shirt connects Reggie Miller’s three-point legacy with Bobby “Slick” Leonard’s iconic Pacers call through a clean blue-and-gold graphic rooted in decades of Indiana basketball culture.