Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle wasn’t happy with the team’s $100,000 fine from the NBA, but the league is firing back.
During a radio appearance on 107.5 The Fan, Carlisle called the process that led to the fine “ridiculous,” but the NBA released a statement to The Athletic’s Sam Amick disputing his claim.
“Coach Carlisle’s description of the process that went into the decision to fine the Indiana Pacers is inaccurate,” the statement 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.”
Carlisle claimed that the league suggested that the Pacers should medicate Aaron Nesmith so he could play through a left hand strain on Feb. 3 against the Utah Jazz. Nesmith was among the players who sat out that game, leading the NBA to fine Indiana for violating the league’s player participation policy.
“I didn’t agree with it,” Carlisle said during his radio appearance, per The Athletic’s James Boyd. “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.
“… We asked them if they wanted to talk to the doctors, our doctors, about it because it was something that was documented by our doctors and trainers,” Carlisle continued. “They said no, they didn’t need to. They talked to their doctors, who did not examine Aaron Nesmith. And we asked them if they wanted to talk to the kid (Nesmith), and they said, no, they didn’t need to. 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.”
In addition to the Pacers’ $100,000 fine, the Jazz were also fined $500,000 for alleged tanking tactics. Both teams are lingering toward the bottom of the league standings and could be in the running for the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA draft.