OKLAHOMA CITY — For Seth Paxton, a love for basketball is simply part of life in Indiana.
“I don’t know why you would be from Indiana and not love Pacers basketball and basketball in general,” he says, with a hint of humor.
Paxton’s devotion to the Indiana Pacers runs deep. He says the addiction was ignited when his wife suggested they spend money to travel abroad.
“Once I had my wife willing to let us spend money to go out of the country, the addiction was born,” he recalls.
The central Indiana native made it his mission to watch the Pacers in every road arena, a journey that began in 2010 and has yet to stop.
“Of course, going to L.A. is nice in the wintertime, going to Golden State is not too bad, and Phoenix is not too bad,” he said. “So, it starts to cascade until I could, really make this happen. By 2014-2015, I’d done a majority, and then it became a goal of mine to do them all.”
He has seen the Pacers win in all but six arenas, but his journey continues. More than 100 games later, Paxton finds himself in Oklahoma City, eager to watch the blue and gold in the finals.
“They play a quality of basketball that’s appealing to me, so I love the idea of the sport — the last-second thinking,” he noted. “I like watching people be pressed to think within a second or two.”
Paxton’s passion for the Pacers transcends geographic boundaries, demonstrating that, regardless of where the game is played, Indiana basketball holds a special place in his heart.
Game 2 tips off at 8 p.m. on Sunday. You can watch all the action of the NBA Finals on WRTV.
