Pacers’ Ivica Zubac out for season after suffering rib fracture
Pacers center suffered the injury Wednesday night; Indiana’s injury-plagued season takes another hit amid franchise-record losing streak.
Indiana Pacers center Ivica Zubac won’t suit up for the rest of the 2025-26 season.
He sustained a rib fracture in their loss on Wednesday to the Portland Trail Blazers and has been ruled out for the rest of the season, as Dustin Dopirak of the IndyStar first reported.
We knew about a hard hit he took to his head, but it was unclear he suffered an injury to his chest.
With 10:57 left in the fourth quarter, Zubac absorbed a left elbow from Blazers center Donovan Clingan to his forehead. Clingan missed the shot attempt at the rim and was not called for a foul, which Zubac disputed at the next timeout after he realized he had a goose egg on the right side of his forehead.
“I hope he’s going to be OK,” head coach Rick Carlisle said following the 127-119 loss. “I didn’t hear anything about a concussion or anything like that. I think it’s pretty clear that he got fouled on the play. It looks like a half of golf ball sticking out of his forehead.”
Zubac was subbed out and walked straight back to the locker room with associate head athletic trainer Carl Eaton and team physician Dr. Troy Roberson.
Two days later, more was known about Zubac. And now Pacers fans won’t see him again this season.
And we’ll all have to wait until the 2026-27 season to see him share the court with All-Stars Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton. The Pacers (15-55) have the worst record in basketball and won’t make the playoffs. Their last win was on Feb. 11, on the other side of All-Star break.
Before exiting the game after 24 minutes, he finished with a team-high 18 points, eight rebounds, and three assists on his 29th birthday.
Zubac was held out for more than a month after the trade due to an ankle injury. He made his Pacers debut on March 13 against the Phoenix Suns, played in the first half, and finished with eight points and six rebounds in 16 minutes.
He appeared in five Pacers games, averaging 11.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while playing just over 23 minutes per game.
After playing five games in seven days, the team did not hold an official practice on Friday — which meant no media availability before they left for a two-game road trip.
Once again, this Pacers team has to adapt during a season truly unlike any other. It’s been one injury after the next, which directly impacts everything they do.
“The NBA is one of the greatest leagues in the world for preparation because the lack of great amounts of time makes it essential that you have a system and that within your system you can make adjustments or game plan,” Carlisle said before Wednesday’s game. “Different teams have different approaches for that. That’s what we fall back on.”
Siakam has been sidelined for the last eight games with a right knee sprain, but I’m told he’s expected to play again this season.
“He’s doing better,” Carlisle said this week. “He was on the floor a little bit in New York the day between games. He’s making progress.”
The Pacers have lost a franchise-record 15 straight games and are now on the road for their next two, at San Antonio (Saturday) and Orlando (Monday).
In other news, the Noblesville Boom had a third player suffer a season-ending injury (Cody Martin), so they brought back Jordan Bell.
