NBA Fines Jazz $100,000 For Sitting Lauri Markkanen
Mar 12, 2025, 4:26 PM | Updated: Mar 16, 2025, 8:03 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – The NBA announced it has fined the Utah Jazz for sitting Lauri Markkanen in their March 5 meeting with the Washington Wizards.
The league levied the fine as part of a recently enacted policy to encourage player participation by star players in road games.
“The NBA announced today that the Utah Jazz organization has been fined $100,000 for violating the league’s Player Participation Policy,” the league announced. “The violation occurred when the Jazz failed to make Lauri Markkanen, a star player under the Policy, available for the team’s game against the Washington Wizards on March 5 at Capital One Arena, as well as other recent games.”
Related: Jazz Set To Face Grizzlies Riding 13-Game Road Losing Streak
Jazz Fined For Resting Markkanen
Markkanen has missed 22 games of the Jazz’s 65 games this season, including nine straight beginning on February 24.
The Finnish forward has been plagued by back injuries all season, dating back to Halloween night when he missed the team’s fifth game of the season with back spasms.
Markkanen missed three games during the stretch with the back injury and has missed games intermittently since.
The @nba.com has fined the Utah Jazz $100,000 for violating the player participation policy.
— Howard Beck (@howardbeck.bsky.social) March 12, 2025 at 3:42 PM
The Jazz currently own the second-worst record in the NBA at 15-50, 1.5 games back of the 16-48 Charlotte Hornets.
Only the 13-51 Wizards have a worse record than the Jazz with a month left in the NBA season.
Shortly after the fine, the Jazz announced that Markkanen would return to action to face the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night.
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Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops, on Instagram @BensHoops, or on BlueSky.
