Bob "Slick" Leonard returned to the mic Sunday, and was thrilled to be back.
The IndyStar reports the legendary Indiana Pacers coach and radio announcer took his seat beside play-by-play man Mark Boyle for the game against the Miami Heat. As long as the Pacers are hitting from long range, the familiar "Boom, baby!" calls will return.
Leonard, 85, spent about three months recovering from a broken left hip.
"I was taking some boxes over to the church to recycle, and boy I'm not very smart," he said. "I got out of the car and I reached in the back door and pulled out the first box, and I forgot to put my car in park, and it started rolling.
"I went after the car and I slipped on the ice, and thank God, the car ran into a snow bank and it stopped the car.
"In the fall I shattered my left hip."
Leonard was determined to make his broadcasting return on WFNI 1070 AM / 107.5 FM before the Pacers' season ended. The Pacers would clinch a playoff spot with a victory Sunday, so Leonard sensed his timing was perfect.
"I looked at the schedule and said, 'I'm going to try to figure this out, the day that they're going to make the playoffs,'" Leonard told the IndyStar, laughing, before the game. "I just got to the point where ready or not, I've just to go down to a ballgame. That's me. I've still got a little recoup time left. But this has been my whole life.
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