INDIANAPOLIS— On Thursday afternoon, Matt Asen is outside of Gainbridge Fieldhouse. In his Pacers jersey, he does not go unnoticed.
“If I could make people smile just by taking a picture with them, it’s a better world isn’t it?” said Asen.
Asen is also known to other fans as ‘Pacer Guy’ and ‘Flamingo Guy’
“The lucky flamingo is finally coming through,” said Asen. It was signed by Spike Lee 10 years ago.”
He has the nicknames of ‘Sign Guy’ and ‘Clock Guy.’
“For the Giannis clock I did, which was the pinnacle of my sign making I think,” said Asen.
To know how Asen became one of the ultimate Pacer fans is to go back almost 40 years. He’s from Florida and in 1987 had a chance meeting with Pacers owner Herb Simon.
“He invited me to go to a game with him when he saw I was a big fan and it was the first playoff game in Atlanta,” said Asen.
From there, the rest is history.
“The Pacers won their first home playoff game and I had the flamingo waving it and Mel Simon said, ‘Hey get that guy with the penguin, he’s good luck.’ I said Mel, it's a flamingo, not a penguin,” said Asen.
Asen flies from Florida a few times a year and hasn’t missed a home playoff game since 2000. He has a courtside seat on the baseline. He has a rivalry with Spike Lee, has met Pacers legends and some celebrities as well.
“I saw Timothy Chalamet and asked him for a photo,” Asen.
Now, he’s again watching the Pacers play for a title.
“For the first time in my life, except going back to the malice in the palace team, I really believe we can do it,” said Asen.
