The Indiana Pacers defeated the New York Knicks in game six of the Eastern Conference Finals on Saturday night, extending the streak of former Arizona players reaching the NBA Finals to 11 years. Arizona Ring of Honor inductees Bennedict Mathurin and T.J. McConnell are key reserves for Indiana.
Mathurin scored four points and had one rebound in nine minutes and McConnell had three points, four rebounds and and two assists in 14 minutes as Indiana beat New York 125-108 to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since they lost in six games to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000.
The 11-year streak of Arizona alums playing in the NBA Finals began in 2015 with Andre Iguodala, who was the Finals Most Valuable Player for the Golden State Warriors, who had a heavy Wildcats presence led by head coach Steve Kerr. That was the first of six consecutive finals appearances for Iguodala.
After playing in five consecutive NBA Finals with Golden State, Iguodala and Solomon Hill represented Arizona with the Miami Heat, who lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in the quarantine in Orlando. Iguodala spent one more season with Miami before winning another NBA title with Golden State in 2022.
11 straight years of having a Wildcat in the NBA Finals 🐻⬇️ pic.twitter.com/u0SI6eNiL2
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) June 1, 2025
DeAndre Ayton helped keep the streak of Arizona players in the NBA Finals going as the starting center for the Phoenix Suns in the 2021 NBA Finals. The Milwaukee Bucks defeated Phoenix in six games to win their first title since 1971. Phoenix previously lost in the 1976 and 1993 NBA Finals and has never won a title.
Aaron Gordon was a starter and key contributor and Zeke Nnaji was a reserve as they became the eighth and ninth Arizona alums to win an NBA Championship. Dallas Mavericks guard Josh Green extended the streak to 10 years in 2024 as they lost to the Boston Celtics in five games.