Siakam denies that the Pacers are tanking: "I play in almost every game"

Pascal Siakam firmly rejected accusations that the Indiana Pacers are intentionally losing games during the 2025-26 NBA season. The forward made it clear that, from his perspective, the team's effort — and his own in particular — does not support that narrative.

"I don't know where that comes from... I play almost every game, I have the most minutes," Siakam stated in an interview with SiriusXM NBA Radio.

The debate escalated following recent NBA penalties:

• Utah Jazz was fined $500,000 for benching starters in the final quarter of close games.

• Indiana was fined $100,000 for improperly reporting injured players' status.

The league has reiterated its commitment to protecting the integrity of the competition, although it acknowledges that draft incentives continue to drive some teams towards questionable strategies.

Context of the Indiana season

Siakam has been one of the few steady points in a challenging season for the Pacers, earning his fourth selection to the 2026 All-Star Game. However, the team was severely impacted by Tyrese Haliburton's injury, who suffered a right Achilles tendon rupture in the seventh game of the Finals against Oklahoma City and will miss the entire season.

Combined with other significant absences in the rotation, this largely explains the team's poor collective performance.

Current situation

With a record of 15-40, Indiana sits at 14th in the East, ahead only of Washington and still far from the playoff zone. Nevertheless, Siakam insists that the intent has never been to lose on purpose but rather to compete with the available resources.

In simple terms: for their veteran leader, the results are a consequence of circumstances, not a deliberate strategy.