Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle expressed strong disagreement with the NBA's $100,000 fine against his team for violating the Player Participation Policy during a game against the Utah Jazz. He described the league's investigation as ridiculous, particularly regarding the handling of injured player Aaron Nesmith. The NBA denied Carlisle's account, stating that an independent review was conducted.
The NBA fined the Indiana Pacers $100,000 on February 12 for resting key players in their February 3 game against the Utah Jazz, citing a violation of the Player Participation Policy. The league determined that star forward Pascal Siakam and two other starters, including Aaron Nesmith, could have played, possibly with reduced minutes, or been rested in other games to comply with the policy. The Jazz, who won the matchup 131-122, were separately fined $500,000 for conduct detrimental to the league after benching star players in the fourth quarter of multiple games.
At the time, the Pacers held the worst record in the Eastern Conference at 13-37, following significant setbacks including Tyrese Haliburton's Achilles injury in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, Myles Turner's departure to Milwaukee in free agency, and other injuries. The Jazz were 15-35, 13th in the West, continuing their rebuild after trading Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.
In the game, the Pacers sat Siakam and Bennedict Mathurin for rest, held out Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell for lower back and left knee issues, and sidelined Nesmith due to a left hand strain from the previous night's loss to Houston. The Jazz rested Jusuf Nurkic, sat Keyonte George with an ankle sprain, and limited Lauri Markkanen to the bench for the final 6:19.
On February 24, during a radio interview on 107.5 The Fan in Indianapolis, Carlisle detailed his concerns about the league's process. "There was a league lawyer that was doing the interview that kind of unilaterally decided that Aaron Nesmith, who had been injured the night before and couldn't hold the ball, should have played in the game, which just seems ridiculous," he said. Carlisle, who was not on the call, noted that the NBA declined to speak with the team's doctors or Nesmith, consulted their own unexamined physicians, and inquired about medicating Nesmith to play despite the team's 30 games under .500 record.
The NBA responded that day, calling Carlisle's description inaccurate. "An independent physician led the medical review. In addition, the Pacers’ General Manager and the team’s Senior Vice President, Sports Medicine and Performance were interviewed as part of the process," a league spokesperson stated. The Pacers confirmed providing all requested information and that interviews with Carlisle or a team physician were unnecessary.
The fines come amid heightened scrutiny on tanking ahead of the 2026 NBA Draft, with commissioner Adam Silver addressing the issue at All-Star Weekend.
