Indy 500 champ Alex Palou takes in Knicks-Pacers, caps off big Indiana sports day

Alex Palou got it done on the oval, and now the Indiana Pacers are trying to follow suit on the hardwood. On the same day that the three-time INDYCAR champion won his first Indy 500 title, Palou attended Game 3 of the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals between the Pacers and the New York Knicks.

It capped a big day for Indianapolis sports fans with the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” concluding mere hours before Game 3’s tip-off at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, located about seven miles away.

INDYCAR officials even hustled along Palou’s postrace commitments to get him downtown for the game. Even before Sunday’s big events, Palou had leaned into the Pacers’ postseason run, wearing a Tyrese Haliburton jersey at Saturday’s Indy 500 parade.

“That’s going to help some people in Indiana to know me,” Palou said.

Indy 500 winner Alex Palou got a big cheer from the crowd at Sunday’s game between the Pacers and Knicks. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Palou arrived ahead of the second quarter, wearing the Borg Warner wreath over a Pacers jersey and waving to the yellow-clad crowd from midcourt. And he wasn’t the only big name in attendance at Game 3. Noted actor Terry Crews flexed his muscles from courtside, and Oscar-nominated actor Timothee Chalamet also cheered on his beloved Knicks. 

The Pacers will hope Palou’s victory at The Brickyard will inspire them against the Knicks, although they’ve been doing just fine on their own. Led by Haliburton’s big performances — including an epic buzzer-beating shot that sent Game 1 into overtime — the Pacers are trying to continue their improbable run and reach their first NBA Finals since 1999. 

“The energy in Indy is so special right now,” Haliburton said after the Pacers’ Game 2 win in New York.

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