Pacers' 'Yes 'Cers' shirts, explained: Why Indiana is embracing phrase on warm-ups

David Suggs

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Pacers' 'Yes 'Cers' shirts, explained: Why Indiana is embracing phrase on warm-ups image

As much as things change for the Pacers, they also remain the same. Some 25 years after last advancing to the NBA Finals, Indiana enters its championship series with the Thunder led by a spindly guard, versatile role players, and a former Celtics player as coach. Sound familiar?

Yet, there's something about their latest trek to the postseason that remains fresh and unique. Perhaps it's the jerseys, basking in the brightest of ambers. The home arena remains unchanged, but the floor decal isn't — it's a little crisper, a little newer, and a whole lot more eye-catching.

Then, there are the team's new traditions. In the quarter of a century since their last Eastern Conference Finals triumph, the Pacers have added a fair few wrinkles to their postseason antics — including a new go-to motto.

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With that, here's what you need to know about "Yes 'Cers," the phrase — and shirt — that has taken Indianapolis by storm.

Pacers 'Yes 'Cers' shirt, explained

NBA grounds aren't as colorful as they used to be. Whereas concourses used to be shrouded in all sorts of different hues, the practice of coating the stands in a primary shade isn't quite as en vogue as it was in previous decades.

That's not the case for Indiana, however. Rick Carlisle's side takes pride in its highlighter yellow kits. It wants its fanbase to do so, too. That means laying canary shirts atop stadium seats before each home playoff game.

But what does one place on those decadent tops? "Pacers basketball" is bland and "Indiana" is played out. How about a phrase that has come to take on multiple meanings across the Pacers' fanbase as of late?

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The origins of "Yes 'Cers" are fairly easy to unearth. Indiana launched the phrase as its motto ahead of the 2024-25 season, even enshrining the quote with a glitzy promo video.

The idiom — a reference to the colloquialism, "Yessir" — didn't seem all that consequential. Then, the playoffs started, and the little-known expression became a term of endearment among those in yellow and navy.

The postseason made that crystallization all the clearer. The Pacers outfitted their supporters in "Yes 'Cers" attire for each home match, while star guard Tyrese Haliburton offered an endorsement of the phrase in a social media post celebrating the side's Eastern Conference Finals win over the Knicks.

As for the shirt — which sees a silhouette of the state of Indiana replace the apostrophe — that garment will ripple across Indiana's bleachers when the Finals return home.

Expect a warm reception, one made all the more haunting — at least to Oklahoma City players — by the sight of those menacing kits. 

David Suggs

David Suggs is a content producer at The Sporting News. A long-suffering Everton, Wizards and Commanders fan, he has learned to get used to losing over the years. In his free time, he enjoys skateboarding (poorly), listening to the likes of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and D’Angelo, and penning short journal entries.