Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle spoke out after the team was fined $100,000 by the NBA for resting star players, including Pascal Siakam and Aaron Nesmith, in a game against the Utah Jazz. Carlisle criticized the league's handling of Nesmith's injury, calling it shocking that the NBA suggested he should have played without consulting team doctors and even implied medicating him.
The Indiana Pacers and Utah Jazz were recently hit with significant fines from the NBA amid growing concerns about tanking this season ahead of the loaded 2026 NBA Draft.
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The Jazz were fined $500,000 for conduct detrimental to the league after regularly benching star players in the fourth quarter to lose games. The Pacers were fined $100,000 for violating the Player Participation Policy after resting Pascal Siakam, Aaron Nesmith, and another starter in a matchup against Utah.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle voiced his disagreement with the league's decision during a Tuesday appearance on 107.5 The Fan in Indianapolis. He explained the NBA's handling of the situation and expressed frustration over how Nesmith's injury was treated.
"Yeah, I put out a statement about it. I didn't agree with it," Carlisle said. "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. And during the interview process, I was not on it, but I heard details. We asked them if they wanted to talk to the doctors, our doctors, about it, because it's something that was documented by our doctors and trainers."
Credit AP - Scanpix
Carlisle expressed his frustration with the NBA's handling of the team's fines, describing a shocking conversation about Aaron Nesmith's injury and the league's expectations for him to play.
"They said no, they didn't need to," he explained. "They talked to their doctors, who did not examine Aaron Nesmith, and we asked them if they wanted to talk to the kid, and they said no, they didn't need to. So this was shocking. This was shocking to me. And during the interview, they also asked if we considered medicating him to play in a game when we were 30 games under .500. So I was very surprised. You know, obviously, didn't agree with it. This is really the first time I've gone into any detail about it. But that was the deal. And so yeah, that was it."
The Pacers' main argument against the fine centers on Nesmith's legitimate injury, though the league was more concerned with Pascal Siakam being rested and the broader push to crack down on tanking.
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