Jamaal Tinsley was a man who would rather not jump into a shower after playing a sweaty game of basketball.

The NBA has had some crazy locker room stories over the years, and this might be the one of the worst one. One of those recent stories was about former NBA point guard Jamaal Tinsley, who accumulated around $250,000 in fines from the Indiana Pacers because he simply refused to shower after practices and games.

According to his former teammate, Bruno Sundov, Tinsley developed an issue with the team, specifically Reggie Miller. The Pacers legend would get the team to change their rule of conduct after he noticed Tinsley never took showers with the team. The team decided they would punish him every time he wouldn’t shower, but it did not deter him.

Via Sundov in his interview with Podcast Inkubator.

“Tinsley wouldn’t shower after practices or games. We easily enter or exit the shower, and he would be dressed already exiting the locker room. Once, twice, three times… And Reggie Miller says to the team manager: ‘Bring the team rule book, we have to add one change that every player must shower after every training session, especially after every game, otherwise he will be punished.’ The first fine was $500, and it would be doubled every other time he didn’t take a shower.”

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Tinsley said that he preferred taking showers at his house rather than showering with the team. He did not want to get naked with his teammates and was shy.

Sundov said he and the rest of the teammates counted the number of fines, and Tinsley accumulated around $250,000 in fines throughout the entire season.

“Guess how much Jamal Tinsley paid in fines for not showering? He paid $250,000 in fines because he did not want to shower after practices. It’s like he’s taking a shower at home; he doesn’t want to be naked among everyone… We counted at the end, and he paid $250,000 worth of fines for not showering; in the end, a scandal broke out, and he had to speak with his agent, and his girlfriend.”

Tinsley stayed with the Pacers until 2008.

The 11-year NBA veteran, who played his last 111 NBA games with the Jazz over parts of three seasons, announced his retirement from basketball in 2018.


Tinsley’s last taste of NBA action came in November of 2013.