Indiana Pacers to host FanJam intrasquad scrimmage with more competitive goals on October 14
The Indiana Pacers announced earlier this week that they will hold their annual intrasquad scrimmage, known as FanJam, on Sunday, October 14. The event will begin at 12:45 p.m. Eastern Time.
The roster will be split into two squads each comprising nine players for the scrimmage. One will be coached by assistant coach Lloyd Pierce, the other by assistant Mike Weinar.
In past seasons, it has been a lighthearted game with many dunks and fun moments. This year, though, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle wants to change that.
"FanJam on the 14th, we're going to treat [it] not like a typical FanJam. We're going to treat it like a real intrasquad game," Carlisle said at Pacers media day last week. "We're going to have league-assigned officials — we have some G League officials that have been assigned to the game. We're going to wear real game uniforms. And we're going to do this as a real game."
For the Pacers, this free-to-the-public event will be more like an additional preseason game. According to the team's release, the scrimmage will feature two 15-minute halves.
"That's going to be really important," Carlisle said of upping the intensity of the game. The head coach noted that the timing is perfect given the rest of Indiana's preseason schedule. They'll get a nice gap between preseason duels to fit in their scrimmage.
"It'll be a different approach to FanJam and I think our fans will really like it," Carlisle said. He was the initiator of the changes to the event.
The fun, fan-focused parts of the day will remain. After the game, Indiana's rookies — both staff and players — will perform a song in front of the fans, and they will do so in costume. Last year, Kendall Brown, Bennedict Mathurin, and Andrew Nembhard put on a show.
Langston Galloway was a veteran guard for the Pacers during the event in 2022, and his kids stole the attention in a dance off. The acts are a joy for everyone, even the team.
"I think they got better as they went... it was fun to see," Indiana big man Myles Turner said of the performances last year.
Once FanJam is complete, the Pacers will get back to their schedule preseason slate. They take on the Atlanta Hawks in Indianapolis next Monday. It will be the team's first preseason game at home, and they'll look to avoid a 0-3 start to the tune-up games.
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