NBA Escalates Crackdown on Tanking with $500K Jazz Fine and $100K Pacers Penalty
The NBA has imposed significant fines on the Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers, marking a clear escalation of its ongoing crackdown on tanking and penalizing both teams for actions the league deemed detrimental to competitive integrity.
I’d suggest they should start doling out fines to players for chucking up three-pointers when they’re not long-range shooters. Or maybe fine the Lakers for tanking their entire franchise by drafting Bronny James to inflate the ego of one of their star players.
But, I digress.
The league slapped the Jazz with a hefty $500,000 fine—the larger of the two penalties—for “conduct detrimental to the league.”
The NBA announces a $500,000 fine for Utah for “conduct detrimental to the league” and a $100,000 fine for Indiana for violating the league’s Player Participation Policy: pic.twitter.com/dkx2nXSrRC
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 13, 2026
This stemmed from the team’s handling of star players Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. in two recent tight ballgames. In games against the Orlando Magic on February 7 (a 120-117 loss) and the Miami Heat on February 9 (a 115-111 win), the Jazz benched both players for the entire fourth quarter, despite them being healthy and capable of playing.
One imagines that if you’re going to tank games by pulling your stars, you should probably successfully lose those contests, not have a .500 record. You’re not doing it right, Utah.
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The Pacers, meanwhile, received a $100,000 fine for violating the NBA’s Player Participation Policy. This penalty related to a February 3 game against the Jazz, where starting forward Pascal Siakam and two other players were scratched.
Again, they are accused of tanking against the team that would later be accused of … tanking. Everybody tanking out here. It’s a race to the bottom.
An NBA investigation, including review by an independent doctor, determined the players could have participated under the policy’s medical standards, including potentially in reduced minutes.
“Overt behavior like this that prioritizes draft position over winning undermines the foundation of NBA competition,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “We will respond accordingly to any further actions that compromise the integrity of our games.”
Both teams sit near the bottom of the league standings—the Jazz at 18-38 and the Pacers at 15-40—positioning them for better odds in the 2026 NBA Draft lottery.