Rick Carlisle Calls Out NBA for ‘Ridiculous’ Process Behind Pacers’ Tanking Fine

The Pacers are one of many teams that will be tanking down the stretch run of this NBA season. Unlike most others of their ilk, though, Indiana didn’t really plan to be in this position after making a Finals run last season. But Tyrese Haliburton’s torn Achilles took away the team’s top offensive option, and an utterly awful stretch to begin this year has anchored the Pacers to the bottom of the standings.

Nevertheless, Indy was one of the nails the NBA hit with the anti-tanking hammer before the All-Star break. The Pacers were fined $100,000 after the league determined they violated the Player Participation Policy (which was instituted to address load management, but is used to battle tanking, as well) by resting All-Star Pascal Siakam and two other starters on the second night of a back-to-back on Feb. 3. It was not nearly as heavy a fine as the Jazz received that day; Utah was hit with a $500,000 penalty for conduct detrimental to the league. Even so, $100,000 was a strong slap on the wrist for Indianapolis, and one coach Rick Carlisle did not agree with.

After the Pacers were fined, Carlisle said he had “no idea” what to make of the apparent violation, but released a statement saying his team had been “very consistent” in its approach to the season and that communication with the NBA had been “productive.”

Then, on Tuesday, Carlisle revealed the depths of his frustration with the situation.

Appearing on The Fan Morning Show for a radio interview, Carlisle said the NBA used a "ridiculous" process to determine the Pacers’ fine. He then detailed a bit of that process and said the league asked the Pacers if they had considered “medicating” Aaron Nesmith to ensure he could take the floor rather than holding him out with a hand injury.

“I didn’t agree with it,” Carlisle said. “There was a league lawyer that was doing the interview that kind of unilaterally decided 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.

“During the interview process, I was not on it, but I heard details. We asked them if they wanted to talk to our doctors about it because it’s something that was documented by our doctors and trainers. They said no, they didn’t need to, they talked to their doctors. Who did not examine Aaron Nesmith. We asked if they wanted to talk to [Nesmith] and they said no, they didn’t need to. This was shocking to me. During the interview, they also asked if we considered medicating him to play in a game when we were 30 games under .500.

“I was very surprised. Obviously didn’t agree with it. ... That was the deal. That was it.”

Rick Carlisle today opening up about the NBA’s $100,000 fine of the #Pacers:

Full interview here: https://t.co/1rrz1gO1Ja pic.twitter.com/MgjmZFEPsH
— Kevin Bowen (@KBowen1070) February 24, 2026

Quite the pulling back of the curtain by the Pacers’ coach here.

The NBA is in a tricky spot regarding discipline over injury reports, to be sure, and the league has been emboldened to aggressively attack tanking given this year’s particularly audacious display. But one would hope that that process entails more than a ruling by a league lawyer and doctor who, according to Carlisle, aren’t interested in speaking to the injured party to evaluate the situation. The coach's assertion that the NBA asked about “medicating” a player to play through an injury is a very bad look for the league, too.

The Pacers are 15–43 entering play on Tuesday. It will be quite interesting to see if the NBA’s handling of this situation impacts Indiana's approach to holding players out down the stretch.

NBA issues statement disputing Rick Carlisle’s comments on fine

A few hours after Carlisle’s radio interview made the rounds in the NBA world, the league issued a statement disputing the coach's “description” of the events. Specifically, the NBA said that an independent physician led the medical review of the situation, and that the team itself decided an interview with Carlisle or Indy’s medical team was not necessary.

“Coach Carlisle’s description of the process that went into the decision to fine the Indiana Pacers is inaccurate,” the statement from an NBA spokesperson read. “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. The Pacers confirmed that it had provided all of the information requested by the league and the team reported that an interview with Coach Carlisle or a team physician wasn’t necessary.”

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