Herb Simon (businessman)

For the American political scientist, see Herbert A. Simon.

Herbert Simon (born October 23, 1934) is an American real estate developer. He resides in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was educated at the City College of New York and is the owner of the Indiana Pacers, Indiana Fever,^[3] and chairman emeritus of the shopping mall developer Simon Property Group. In 2010, he purchased Kirkus Reviews.^[4]

Herbert Simon
Simon in 2023
Born	(1934-10-23) October 23, 1934 (age 90)[1] New York City, U.S.
Alma mater	City College of New York (BBA) [2]
Occupation	Chairman emeritus of the Simon Property Group
Known for	Real Estate Development Indiana Pacers,Indiana Fever and Reno Aces owner
Spouse(s)	Sheila Simon ​ (divorced)​ Diane Meyer ​ ​ (m. 1981; div. 2000)​ Porntip Bui Nakhirunkanok ​ ​ (m. 2002)​
Children	8
Family	Melvin Simon (brother) David Simon (nephew)

Forbes estimated his net worth to be around US $4.7 billion in early 2024.^[5]

Early life and education

He was born to a Jewish family in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and grew up in the Bronx, the son of Max and Mae Simon.^[1] His father was a tailor who had emigrated from Central Europe. His older brother is the late Melvin Simon. His oldest brother is the late Fred Simon, who was the longtime leasing director at Simon Property Group. Herbert Simon graduated from the City College of New York with a B.B.A. in Business.^[2]

Personal life

Simon has been married three times. His first wife was Sheila Simon.^[5] They have two children.^[6]

In 1981, Simon married Diane Meyer, political staffer for Senator Birch Bayh of Indiana.^[6] They divorced in 2000.^[6] They have three children.^[6]

In 2002, Simon married Porntip Bui Nakhirunkanok (born February 7, 1969, Bangkok, Thailand), Miss Universe 1988. They have three children.^[7][8]

Indiana Pacers

In 1983, Simon and his brother Mel (1927–2009) purchased the NBA's Indiana Pacers from Sam Nassi and Frank Mariani, who were planning to either sell to outside interests or return the team to the league.^[9][10] His nephew David (Mel's son) and he are also the owners of the WNBA's Indiana Fever^[11] and formerly owned the USL's now defunct Reno 1868 FC.^[12]

On April 6, 2024, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced that Simon would be inducted into the Hall later that year as a contributor.^[13]