Ryan Smith Tells Bobby Marks “Sit This One Out” After Fine
Feb 12, 2026, 9:14 PM | Updated: 9:18 pm
Ryan Smith, Utah Jazz owner (Credit: Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
(Credit: Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith had sharp words for Bobby Marks after the ESPN analyst discussed the team’s $500,000 fine.
The Jazz were fined by the NBA for resting Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. in games against the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic.
Related: Utah Jazz fined $500,000 by NBA for Recent Rotations
Ryan Smith Calls Out Bobby Marks After Fine
After the NBA announced the Jazz’s fine, Marks, a former assistant manager for the Brooklyn Nets, weighed in on the fine.
“Tanking fines is like paying the luxury tax in the prior CBA,” Marks wrote on X. “If it gives you a competitive advantage, or in this case, a chance to draft (and keep) an impact player, billionaire owners will pay the fine. Now if we start taking away roster resources, that’s a different story.”
The comments drew a response from Smith.
“Hey Bobby… maybe sit this one out,” Smith wrote. “You have no clue what paying this is like and your amnesia this week is comical.”
Hey Bobby… maybe sit this one out. You have no clue what paying this is like and your amnesia this week is comical. https://t.co/NTFHgaPr7F
— Ryan Smith (@RyanQualtrics) February 13, 2026
Smith’s mention of amnesia is a nod to Marks’ comments on ESPN’s “NBA Today,” where he criticized the Jazz’s late-game rotations.
“I think what Utah is doing right now is messing around with the integrity of the NBA,” Marks said on Tuesday. “The ability to sit players — starters, in the fourth quarter, to not call timeouts in the fourth quarter… if you’re the league, you’re looking at it, ‘Alright, can we do some gimmicks? Can we alter protections, eliminate protections as far as picks, or can we bring the hammer down?’”
Related: Bobby Marks Is Wrong For Questioning Jazz’s Integrity
Marks’ comments directly implicated the Jazz for altering their late-game rotations, despite several teams employing the strategy throughout the NBA.
Bobby Marks:
“I think what Utah is doing right now is messing around with the integrity of the NBA” pic.twitter.com/7KBRrt2Auq
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) February 10, 2026
Last season, the Toronto Raptors regularly rested All-Star Scottie Barnes late in close games, preferring to lose games to improve their draft odds.
Bizarrely, the NBA fined the Jazz for a game they didn’t lose, beating Miami 115-111, and outscoring the opposing roster in the fourth quarter without Markkanen or Jackson Jr. on the floor.
The Jazz own an 18-37 record entering their final game before the All-Star break.
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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.
