Rik Smits, played for the Indiana Pacers for the entirety of his twelve year career, and helped lead the Pacers to a long period of sustained success, highlighted by Ten Playoff appearances, Five Eastern Conference Finals appearances and the Pacers lone NBA Finals appearance in 2000. It's worth noting that prior to Smits being drafted the pacers had never even won a NBA playoff series. While only an NBA All-Star once, Rik Smits was an integral component to the Pacer's success, as a 7-4 Center with a surprising shooting touch for a man of his size, who along with Hall of Famer and Pacers legend, Reggie Miller, made a formidable dynamic duo. He consistently averaged around Fifteen points a game along with Six rebounds, but his impact on the court went further than just his stat line. In the words of Pacers owner, Herb Simon,"By the time he got his NBA legs on, he became probably our most important player on the team." Without Smits, the Pacers don't enjoy their longest stretch of sustained success in franchise history, ultimately becoming a staple of the Indiana zeitgeist along the way. Rik Smits still remains 2nd all time in Points, Rebounds, Blocks, Games Played, and Minutes Played in Pacers franchise history, all while enduring chronic foot pain throughout his career. Did I mention that the man has one of the greatest nicknames of all time, A.K.A "The Dunking Dutchman"? Rik Smits was one of the first great International talents in the NBA hailing from none other than the Netherlands, who became a lifelong Pacer, integral to the teams greatest period of success, all while remaining unassuming, consistent, and hardworking throughout the entirety of his twelve year career. The least we can do to honor this man's memory, lest he be forgotten in history, is to retire his number 45, and forever honor one of the greatest Pacers of all time.