For campers attending Aaron Nesmith’s annual basketball camp at Porter-Gaud School, meeting an NBA player isn’t anything new. But this year, something feels different.
That’s because Nesmith isn’t just an NBA player anymore—he’s an Eastern Conference champion who came within minutes of an NBA title. His standout role in the Indiana Pacers’ run to the NBA Finals has elevated his presence, not just on TV screens, but in the hearts of young hoopers back home in Charleston.
“The main reason I come back is to show these kids it’s possible,” Nesmith said on Monday during his camp. “I had a kid ask me today if he could make the NBA. That was me 15 years ago. It’s about paying it forward.”
The former Porter-Gaud star returned this summer with a new level of recognition. No longer just the local kid who made it big, Nesmith is now the high-flying wing that Charleston—and much of the basketball world—watched compete on the game’s biggest stage.
Reflecting on Indiana’s deep postseason run, which ended in a heartbreaking Game 7 loss in the NBA Finals, Nesmith described the experience as surreal.
“While you’re in it, you don’t think about it as much,” he said. “Now that I’ve had a moment to reflect, the chance to compete at that level—it’s something I’ll remember forever.”
Still, the sting of falling just short lingers.
“Every day, it hits you,” he admitted. “This morning, I woke up and thought, ‘Man, we were just 24 minutes away from a world championship.’ It fuels me. That’s what keeps me going.”
Nesmith has been training daily back home with local coach Davon Gilliard. Even as he now resides in Mount Pleasant, his ties to Charleston—and especially to his tight-knit family in West Ashley—remain strong. Asked whether the Finals gave the family a chance to pause and reflect, Nesmith made it clear the focus was always on the task at hand.
“It was all business,” he said. “They were with me throughout the playoffs, which was awesome. But in the moment, it was work. We reflected afterward. It was a blessing, but it was all work while it was happening.”
In 2023, Nesmith signed a three-year, \$33 million extension with the Pacers after being traded from the Boston Celtics. This season, he emerged as a key piece in Indiana’s surprising Finals surge, earning praise for his defensive energy and shooting consistency.
Now, with the whirlwind season in the rearview, Nesmith is back to doing what he’s always done—putting in the work and giving back to the place that shaped him.
For the kids at Porter-Gaud, he’ll always be their Pied Piper. But now, he’s also a reminder that dreams rooted in Charleston’s hardwood courts can one day reach the NBA Finals.
