View source for Bobby Leonard

{{Short description|American basketball player and coach (1932–2021)}}
{{for multi|the Canadian pro wrestling promoter|Bob Leonard (wrestling)|other people with similar names|Robert Leonard (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Bobby Leonard
| image = Bobby Leonard.jpeg
| width = 
| caption = Leonard, circa 1962
| birth_date = {{birth date |1932|07|17}}
| birth_place = [[Terre Haute, Indiana]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2021|4|13|1932|07|17}}
| death_place = [[Indianapolis, Indiana]], U.S.
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 3
| weight_lb = 185
| high_school = Gerstmeyer (Terre Haute, Indiana)
| college = [[Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball|Indiana]] (1951–1954)
| draft_year = 1954
| draft_round = 2
| draft_pick = 10
| draft_team = [[Baltimore Bullets (1944–1954)|Baltimore Bullets]]
| career_start = 1956
| career_end = 1963
| career_position = [[Point guard]]
| career_number = 21
| coach_start = 1962–1964, 1968
| coach_end = 1980
| years1 = {{nbay|1956|start}}–{{nbay|1960|end}}
| team1 = [[Los Angeles Lakers|Minneapolis / Los Angeles Lakers]]
| years2 = {{nbay|1961|start}}–{{nbay|1962|end}}
| team2 = [[Washington Wizards|Chicago Packers / Zephyrs]]
| cyears1 = {{nbay|1962|start}}–{{nbay|1963|end}}
| cteam1 = Chicago Zephyrs / Baltimore Bullets
| cyears2 = [[1968–69 ABA season|1968]]–{{nbay|1979|end}}
| cteam2 = [[Indiana Pacers]]
| highlights = 
'''As player:'''
* [[List of NCAA Men's Division I Basketball champions|NCAA champion]] ([[1953 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|1953]])
* Consensus second-team [[NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|All-American]] ([[1954 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|1954]])
* Third-team All-American – [[Associated Press|AP]] ([[1953 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|1953]])
'''As coach:'''
* 3× [[ABA champion]] ([[1970 ABA Playoffs|1970]], [[1972 ABA Playoffs|1972]], [[1973 ABA Playoffs|1973]])
* No. 529 [[Indiana Pacers#Retired numbers|honored by Indiana Pacers]]
* [[ABA All-Time Team |ABA All-time Best Head Coach]]
| stat1label = [[Point (basketball)|Points]]
| stat1value = 4,204 (9.9 ppg)
| stat2label = [[Rebound (basketball)|Rebounds]]
| stat2value = 1,217 (2.9 rpg)
| stat3label = [[Assist (basketball)|Assists]]
| stat3value = 1,427 (3.3 apg)
| cstats_league1 = NBA & ABA
| cwin1 = 573
| closs1 = 534
| HOF_coach = slick-leonard
}}
'''William Robert "Slick" Leonard'''<ref name="IndyStar obit"/> (July 17, 1932{{spnd}}April 13, 2021) was an American professional [[basketball]] player, coach and [[color commentator]]. He played [[college basketball]] for the [[Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball|Indiana Hoosiers]], where he was a two-time [[NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|All-American]] and a member of their [[List of NCAA Division I men's basketball champions|national championship]] squad in 1953. After playing professionally in the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA), Leonard coached the [[Indiana Pacers]] to three [[American Basketball Association]] (ABA) championships. He was inducted into the [[Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame]] as a coach in 2014.

==Early life==
[[File:Bob Leonard IU.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Leonard as a senior at IU]]
Leonard was born in [[Terre Haute, Indiana]], on July 17, 1932. He attended [[Terre Haute North Vigo High School|Gerstmeyer High School]].<ref name="BR player">{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/leonasl01.html|title=Slick Leonard Stats|website=[[Basketball Reference]]|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|accessdate=November 15, 2023}}</ref> He was shaped by the basketball games played in his neighborhood that saw him toughen up. There, he played high school basketball as a {{height|ft=6|in=3}}, {{convert|185|lb|abbr=on}} guard, and also excelled as a [[tennis]] player. He went on to play collegiate basketball at [[Indiana University Bloomington]], where he hit the game winning [[free throw]] to give the [[Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball|Hoosiers]] the [[1953 NCAA basketball tournament|1953 NCAA championship]]. While at Indiana, he became a member of [[Delta Tau Delta]] International [[Fraternities and sororities in North America|Fraternity]].<ref>The Rainbow, vol. 132, no. 2, p. 14,</ref> He was named a third-team [[NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|All-American]] in 1953 and selected to the second team the following season.<ref name="BR player"/>

==Professional career==

===Playing career===
Leonard was selected by the [[Baltimore Bullets (1944–1954)|Baltimore Bullets]] with the first pick of the second round (tenth overall) of the [[1954 NBA draft]].<ref name="BR player"/> He spent most of his seven-year professional playing career with the [[Los Angeles Lakers|Lakers]] (four years in [[Minneapolis]], and one year following the team's move to Los Angeles), followed by two years with the [[Washington Wizards|Chicago Packers/Zephyrs]]). He led the NBA in games played (72) in [[1956–57 NBA season|1956–57]]. His best season came in [[1961–62 NBA season|1961–62]], in which he finished sixth in the NBA in [[Assist (basketball)|assists per game]] (5.4) and eighth in assists (378).<ref name="BR player"/> In his final season as a player, he also [[player-coach|coached]] the Zephyrs. The team moved to [[Baltimore]] the following year; Leonard coached them for one more year.<ref name="BR player"/><ref name="BR coach"/>

It was during a game of gin rummy with [[George Mikan]] where Leonard earned the nickname "Slick", as Mikan described him as such after Leonard beat him at the game.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nba/pacers/2014/08/06/bobby-slick-leonard-indiana-pacers-nba-aba/13705925/ | title=Slick Leonard: From last kid picked to the Hall of Fame }}</ref>

===Coaching career with the Pacers===
Leonard quit the Bullets when they refused to give him a multiyear contract.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/2021/04/13/bob-slick-leonard-hall-of-fame-coach-who-got-his-start-with-the-baltimore-bullets-dies-at-88/ | title=Bob 'Slick' Leonard, Hall of Fame coach who got his start with the Baltimore Bullets, dies at 88 | date=April 13, 2021 }}</ref> By 1968, he was selling class rings and yearbooks for a living.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1969/04/28/solid-hit-in-the-funny-league | title=Solid hit in the funny league | work=Sports Illustrated Vault &#124; SI.com }}</ref> Five years after coaching the Bullets, Leonard became the coach of the [[American Basketball Association|ABA]]'s [[Indiana Pacers]], a position he held for nearly 12 years &ndash; the last four after the franchise moved to the NBA. 

Leonard arrived to the team nine games into the 1968-69 season. According to [[Bob Netolicky]], in the first meeting with the team after his hiring, Leonard stated that the team would learn basketball all over again in the way it "should be played" while stating his clear interest in making the team a "family" that would stick together, win or lose, which even extended to wanting the team to get together for a drink after every game. No player was immune to Leonard's demand for "48 minutes of total effort during the game". So committed was Leonard that he told [[Roger Brown (basketball, born 1942)|Roger Brown]] he would leave him home rather than have him on an upcoming road trip if he did not give 100 percent in practice. When Brown thought he was bluffing, Leonard stayed true to his word and left him at home, which motivated Brown to play better.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nba/pacers/2014/08/06/bobby-slick-leonard-indiana-pacers-nba-aba/13705925/ | title=Slick Leonard: From last kid picked to the Hall of Fame }}</ref>

Composed of a fiery temper that led to his team being ready to fight (including the coach himself), the Pacers went 42-27 in his first season as a coach and made it to the ABA playoffs. In their first-round matchup against Kentucky, they lost three of the first four games, but it did not worry Leonard, who gave a mellow speech prior to Game 5 about all he wanted was for them to give 100 percent and play their game without yelling; the Pacers proceeded to win Games 5, 6, and 7 to win the series. They made it all the way to the ABA Finals, losing to the Oakland Oaks.<ref>{{cite book |last=Pluto |first=Terry |author-link= |date= 1990|title=Loose Balls |url= |location= |publisher=Simon & Schuster |page=145-149, 153|isbn=978-1-4165-4061-8}}</ref>

In the book ''Loose Balls'', Leonard adamantly believed the best teams were ones that were physically and mentally tough together full of belief of oneself while stating that his job was "to keep the team together" as opposed to calling the game complicated. This extended to bringing the team to hospitals with sick children to remind the players of "what real life can be about."<ref>{{cite book |last=Pluto |first=Terry |author-link= |date= 1990|title=Loose Balls |url= |location= |publisher=Simon & Schuster |page=151, 152|isbn=978-1-4165-4061-8}}</ref> The 1969-70 team aspired to avenge their loss the previous year. The proceeded to have the best record in the league and had home-field advantage before smashing Carolina and Kentucky with only one total loss before meeting the Los Angeles Stars. The Pacers won the first two games before Los Angeles won Game 3 and Indiana roared to a Game 4 victory by 22 points. They lost Game 5 in overtime before going to Los Angeles and winning it in resounding fashion to deliver the first professional championship for Indiana.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://cbs4indy.com/sports/remembering-the-pacers-first-aba-title-on-the-50th-anniversary/ | title=Remembering the Pacers first ABA title on the 50th anniversary | work=WTTV CBS4Indy | date=May 25, 2020 }}</ref>

In total, the Pacers advanced to the ABA Finals five times and won three [[List of ABA champions|ABA championships]] prior to the [[ABA–NBA merger]] in June 1976; in eight playoff series with a Game 7, Leonard won six of them. From 1976 to 1980, Leonard also served as general manager, where he worked in tandem with his wife Nancy, who handled the administrative duties as assistant general manager.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.espn.com/espnw/voices/story/_/id/14787194/nancy-leonard-breaking-ground-nba-saving-indiana-pacers | title=Saving grace: Pacers pioneer Nancy Leonard | date=February 16, 2016 }}</ref> However, the Pacers were nearly gutted in order to meet the financial burdens imposed by the merger, and he was never able to put together a winning team during the Pacers' first four years as an NBA team.<ref name="IndyStar obit"/><ref name="BR coach"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Pluto |first=Terry |author-link= |date= 1990|title=Loose Balls |url= |location= |publisher=Simon & Schuster |page=145-149|isbn=978-1-4165-4061-8}}</ref> By 1977, the team was on the brink of leaving Indianapolis and to sell 8,000 season tickets to raise $2 million. It was Nancy Leonard who came up with the idea for a telethon that she and Bobby would participate in; the "Save the Pacers" telethon, broadcast on live television on July 3, was successful.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/31251063/bobby-slick-leonard-88-pacers-hall-fame-coach-dies | title=Leonard, former NBA player and HOF coach, dies | date=April 13, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nba/pacers/2016/02/17/how-slick-leonard-saved-pacers-1977-telethon/80486326/ | title=How Slick Leonard saved the Pacers with a 1977 telethon }}</ref>

===Color commentary===
{{Redirect-distinguish|Boom baby|Baby boom (disambiguation)}}
Leonard returned to the Pacers in 1985 as a [[color commentator]], first for television with Jerry Baker, then on radio with Mark Boyle on [[WFNI|WIBC]] 1070 AM. His trademark phrase is "Boom, baby!" for a successful [[three-point field goal]] by a Pacers player.<ref name="IndyStar obit"/><ref name=AP/> Leonard first said the phrase in the aftermath of a playoff game where [[Billy Keller]] drained a three-point shot to win the game for Indiana.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nba/pacers/2014/08/06/bobby-slick-leonard-indiana-pacers-nba-aba/13705925/ | title=Slick Leonard: From last kid picked to the Hall of Fame }}</ref>

==Later life==
Leonard suffered a [[Myocardial infarction|heart attack]] on March 13, 2011, shortly after a Pacers' road victory over the [[New York Knicks]].<ref>[http://www.wthr.com/story/14246421/pacers-bob-leonard-has-heart-attack Bob Leonard has heart attack] wthr.com {{dead link|date=February 2024}}</ref> He was later said to be in good condition, but was given an indefinite time to recover, and was filled in for by Pacers TV analyst and former player [[Austin Croshere]].<ref>[http://www.indystar.com/proart/20110314/sports04/103140360/pacers-slick-leonard-recovering-from-heart-attack Leonard recovering from heart attack] indystar.com March 14, 2011 {{dead link|date=February 2024}}</ref>

Leonard was inducted into the [[Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame]] as a coach in 2014.<ref>{{cite press release |url= https://www.hoophall.com/news/five-direct-elect-members-announced-class-2014-naismith-memorial-basketball-hall-fame/ |title=Five Direct-Elect Members Announced for the Class of 2014 by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |publisher=Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |date=February 14, 2014 |access-date=April 13, 2021}}</ref> He became the first individual to be inducted into the Indiana University Sports Hall of Fame. He was also a member of the [[Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame]] and Indiana Sports Writers and Broadcasters Hall of Fame.<ref name=AP/>

Leonard sustained three falls in 2018. The first in January shattered his left hip, while the second in June resulted in a broken left wrist. After his third fall in late December, he took a hiatus from calling games, before coming back on February 28, 2019.<ref name="IndyStar obit"/> He died on April 13, 2021, at the age of 88.<ref name="IndyStar obit">{{cite news|title=Bobby 'Slick' Leonard, Hoosiers and Pacers icon, dies at 88|url=https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nba/pacers/2021/04/13/bobby-slick-leonard-hoosiers-and-pacers-icon-dies-88/4624895002/|first1=Zak|last1=Keefer|first2=J.|last2=Michael|date=April 13, 1986|access-date=April 13, 2021|newspaper=The Indianapolis Star}}</ref><ref name=AP>{{cite news|title=Bobby 'Slick' Leonard, 88, Pacers Hall of Fame coach, dies|url=https://apnews.com/article/bobby-slick-leonard-dead-cddc0dfa1516f0d3b21c4aaea255791c|first=Michael|last=Marot|date=April 13, 2020|access-date=April 13, 2021|work=Associated Press}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Leonard met his wife Nancy (a native of South Bend, Indiana) during his time in college. They met when Leonard tripped her when she strolled past him in health class. Four years later, on the day after they graduated from Indiana, the two married each other. They wound up having five children together over a marriage of 60 years.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/2517161/2021/04/13/bobby-slick-leonard-the-hoosier-institution-who-saved-the-indiana-pacers-dies-at-88/ | title=Bobby 'Slick' Leonard, the Hoosier institution who saved the Indiana Pacers, dies at 88 | work=The New York Times | date=April 13, 2021 | last1=Keefer | first1=Zak }}</ref>

==Career playing statistics==
{{NBA player statistics legend|leader=y}}

===NBA===
Source<ref name="BR player"/>

====Regular season====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"
|-
! Year
! Team
! GP
! MPG
! FG%
! FT%
! RPG
! APG
! PPG
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1956}}
|style="text-align:left;"| [[1956–57 Minneapolis Lakers season|Minneapolis]]
| style="background:#CFECEC;"|72* || 27.0 || .349 || '''.772''' || 3.1 || 2.3 || 11.0
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1957}}
|style="text-align:left;"| [[1957–58 Minneapolis Lakers season|Minneapolis]]
| 66 || 31.4 || .335 || .765 || '''3.6''' || 3.3 || 11.2
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1958}}
|style="text-align:left;"| [[1958–59 Minneapolis Lakers season|Minneapolis]]
| 58 || 27.6 || .373 || .750 || 3.1 || 3.2 || 9.2
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1959}}
|style="text-align:left;"| [[1959–60 Minneapolis Lakers season|Minneapolis]]
| '''73''' || 28.4 || .322 || .705 || 3.4 || 3.5 || 8.2
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1960}}
|style="text-align:left;"| [[1960–61 Los Angeles Lakers season|L.A. Lakers]]
| 55 || 10.9 || .295 || .710 || 1.3 || 1.5 || 3.5
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1961}}
|style="text-align:left;"| [[1961–62 Chicago Packers season|Chicago]]
| 70 || '''35.2''' || '''.375''' || .752 || 2.8 || '''5.4''' || '''16.1'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1962}}
|style="text-align:left;"| [[1962–63 Chicago Zephyrs season|Chicago]]
| 32 || 27.5 || .343 || .694 || 2.1 || 4.5 || 7.1
|- class="sortbottom"
|style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
| 426 || 27.3 || .349 || .745 || 2.9 || 3.3 || 9.9
|}

====Playoffs====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"
|-
! Year
! Team
! GP
! MPG
! FG%
! FT%
! RPG
! APG
! PPG
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1957 NBA playoffs|1957]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1956–57 Minneapolis Lakers season|Minneapolis]]
| 5 || '''40.8''' || '''.420''' || '''.885''' || '''6.0''' || '''7.6''' || '''21.4'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1959 NBA playoffs|1959]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1958–59 Minneapolis Lakers season|Minneapolis]]
| style="background:#CFECEC;"|'''13'''* || 35.9 || .364 || .800 || 3.4 || 5.4 || 12.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1960 NBA playoffs|1960]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1959–60 Minneapolis Lakers season|Minneapolis]]
| 9 || 23.0 || .299 || .643 || 1.1 || 5.0 || 6.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1961 NBA playoffs|1961]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1960–61 Los Angeles Lakers season|L.A. Lakers]]
| 7 || 6.6 || .208 || .250 || .9 || 1.7 || 1.6
|- class="sortbottom"
|style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
| 34 || 27.2 || .357 || .755 || 2.6 || 4.9 || 9.8
|}

==Head coaching record==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|style="background:#E0CEF2; width:3em"|*
|Record
|-
|}
{{NBA coach statistics legend}}
{{NBA coach statistics start}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1962–63 Chicago Zephyrs season|Chicago]]
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1962}}
| 42||13||29||{{Winning percentage|13|29}}|| style="text-align:center;"|5th in [[Western Division (NBA)|Western]]||—||—||—||—
| style="text-align:center;"|Missed playoffs
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1963–64 Baltimore Bullets season|Baltimore]]
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1963}}
| 80||31||49||{{Winning percentage|31|49}}|| style="text-align:center;"|4th in Western||—||—||—||—
| style="text-align:center;"|Missed playoffs
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1968–69 Indiana Pacers season|Indiana]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1968–69 ABA season|1968–69]]
| 69||42||27||{{Winning percentage|42|27}}|| style="text-align:center;"|1st in Eastern||17||9||8||{{Winning percentage|9|8}}
| style="text-align:center;"|Lost in [[1969 ABA Playoffs|ABA Finals]]
|- style="background:#FDE910;"
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1969–70 Indiana Pacers season|Indiana]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1969–70 ABA season|1969–70]]
| 84||59||25||{{Winning percentage|59|25}}|| style="text-align:center;"|1st in Eastern||15||12||3||{{Winning percentage|12|3}}
| style="text-align:center;"|'''Won [[1970 ABA Playoffs|ABA Championship]]'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1970–71 Indiana Pacers season|Indiana]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1970–71 ABA season|1970–71]]
| 84||58||26||{{Winning percentage|58|26}}|| style="text-align:center;"|1st in Western||11||7||4||{{Winning percentage|7|4}}
| style="text-align:center;"|Lost in [[1971 ABA Playoffs|Division finals]]
|- style="background:#FDE910;"
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1971–72 Indiana Pacers season|Indiana]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1971–72 ABA season|1971–72]]
| 84||47||37||{{Winning percentage|47|37}}|| style="text-align:center;"|2nd in Western||style="background:#E0CEF2;"|20*||12||8||{{Winning percentage|12|8}}
| style="text-align:center;"|'''Won [[1972 ABA Playoffs|ABA Championship]]'''
|- style="background:#FDE910;"
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1972–73 Indiana Pacers season|Indiana]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1972–73 ABA season|1972–73]]
| 84||51||33||{{Winning percentage|51|33}}|| style="text-align:center;"|2nd in Western||11||12||6||{{Winning percentage|12|6}}
| style="text-align:center;"|'''Won [[1973 ABA Playoffs|ABA Championship]]'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1973–74 Indiana Pacers season|Indiana]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1973–74 ABA season|1973–74]]
| 84||46||38||{{Winning percentage|46|38}}|| style="text-align:center;"|2nd in Western||14||7||7||{{Winning percentage|7|7}}
| style="text-align:center;"|Lost in [[1974 ABA Playoffs|Division finals]]
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1974–75 Indiana Pacers season|Indiana]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1974–75 ABA season|1974–75]]
| 84||45||39||{{Winning percentage|45|39}}|| style="text-align:center;"|3rd in Western||16||9||9||{{Winning percentage|9|9}}
| style="text-align:center;"|Lost in [[1974 ABA Playoffs|ABA Finals]]
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1975–76 Indiana Pacers season|Indiana]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1975–76 ABA season|1975–76]]
| 84||39||45||{{Winning percentage|39|45}}|| style="text-align:center;"|5th in ABA||3||1||2||{{Winning percentage|1|2}}
| style="text-align:center;"|Lost in [[1974 ABA Playoffs|first round]]
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1976–77 Indiana Pacers season|Indiana]]
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1976}}
| 82||36||46||{{Winning percentage|36|46}}|| style="text-align:center;"|5th in [[Midwest Division (NBA)|Midwest]]||—||—||—||—
| style="text-align:center;"|Missed playoffs
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1977–78 Indiana Pacers season|Indiana]]
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1977}}
| 82||31||51||{{Winning percentage|31|51}}|| style="text-align:center;"|5th in Midwest||—||—||—||—
| style="text-align:center;"|Missed playoffs
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1978–79 Indiana Pacers season|Indiana]]
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1978}}
| 82||38||44||{{Winning percentage|38|44}}|| style="text-align:center;"|3rd in Midwest||—||—||—||—
| style="text-align:center;"|Missed playoffs
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1979–80 Indiana Pacers season|Indiana]]
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1979}}
| 82||37||45||{{Winning percentage|37|45}}|| style="text-align:center;"|4th in [[Central Division (NBA)|Central]]||—||—||—||—
| style="text-align:center;"|Missed playoffs
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career ABA
|style="background:#E0CEF2;"|657*||style="background:#E0CEF2;"|387*||270||{{Winning percentage|387|270}}||&nbsp;||style="background:#E0CEF2;"|116*||style="background:#E0CEF2;"|69*||47||{{Winning percentage|69|47}}||&nbsp;
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career NBA
| 450||186||264||{{Winning percentage|186|264}}||&nbsp;||||||||{{Winning percentage||}}||&nbsp;
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career Total
| 1,107||573||534||{{Winning percentage|573|534}}||&nbsp;||116||69||47||{{Winning percentage|69|47}}||&nbsp;
{{s-end}}
<small>Source:<ref name="BR coach">{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/leonasl01c.html|title=Slick Leonard|work=Basketball-Reference.com|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|access-date=April 13, 2021}}</ref></small>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{basketballstats |nba=77371 |bbr=l/leonasl01}}
* [https://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/leonasl01c.html Basketball-Reference.com: Slick Leonard (as coach)]
* [https://www.nba.com/pacers/bobby-slick-leonard-bio Indiana Pacers bio]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Leonard, Bobby}}
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