INDIANAPOLIS — The man helping lead one of Indianapolis’ biggest race weekend traditions still had to pay 10 bucks to park.

As downtown filled Saturday morning for the 70th annual Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade ahead of the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500, Pascal Siakam pulled up to a parking lot expecting a little Grand Marshal treatment.

Advertisement

Instead, the four-time NBA All-Star found himself in a friendly standoff with a vendor charging $10 for parking.

In a video posted to his social media accounts, the Pacers forward laughed as he rolled into the lot.

“I ain’t trying to pay for real,” Siakam joked from the car. “I ain’t even got 10 bucks.”

When Siakam rolled down his window to face the vendor he asked half-jokingly, “The Grand Marshal don’t get to park for free?”

The woman wasn’t buying it.

“You’re not the Grand Marshal,” she told him. “Caitlin Clark is.”

Siakam, alongside teammate Andrew Nembhard, served as co-Grand Marshal for this year’s parade. Clark, of course, was named Grand Marshal for Sunday’s race festivities — not the parade itself.

1 / 30

See scenes of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade downtown

Spectators wave flags during the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in downtown, Indianapolis.

(Cara Penquite/IndyStar)

1 / 30

See scenes of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade downtown

Spectators wave flags during the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in downtown, Indianapolis.

(Cara Penquite/IndyStar)

2 / 30

See scenes of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade downtown

Spectators wait as the floats and participants get lined up for the start of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in downtown, Indianapolis.

(Cara Penquite/IndyStar)

3 / 30

See scenes of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade downtown

Landon Yoder, 2, waits with his family for the start of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in downtown, Indianapolis. Yoder’s family has been coming to the parade as a family tradition for about 50 years.

(Cara Penquite/IndyStar)

4 / 30

See scenes of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade downtown

Harper March, left, and Hannah Ginther play before the start of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in downtown, Indianapolis.

(Cara Penquite/IndyStar)

5 / 30

See scenes of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade downtown

Spectators line Pennsylvania Street before the start of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in downtown, Indianapolis.

(Cara Penquite/IndyStar)

6 / 30

See scenes of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade downtown

From left, Remi Penix, 7, waves the green flag to signal the start with Rhett Penix, 5, and their mom Nikkole Penix during the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in downtown, Indianapolis.

(Cara Penquite/IndyStar)

7 / 30

See scenes of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade downtown

Alex Palou waves to the crowd during the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in downtown, Indianapolis.

(Cara Penquite/IndyStar)

8 / 30

See scenes of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade downtown

From right, Lisa Cheshire, Quinn Turner and Amber Dukes wait for the start of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in downtown, Indianapolis. They said they were also planning to go to the race tomorrow.

(Cara Penquite/IndyStar)

9 / 30

See scenes of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade downtown

Spectators wait for the start of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in downtown, Indianapolis.

(Cara Penquite/IndyStar)

10 / 30

See scenes of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade downtown

Griffin Amos, 5, leans over the edge of the barricade during the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in downtown, Indianapolis.

(Cara Penquite/IndyStar)

11 / 30

See scenes of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade downtown

Victor Martin watches the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in downtown, Indianapolis. He said he started coming to the parade about 10 years ago.

(Cara Penquite/IndyStar)

12 / 30

See scenes of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade downtown

NASA Artemis II Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen waves to the crowd during the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in downtown, Indianapolis.

(Cara Penquite/IndyStar)

13 / 30

See scenes of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade downtown

Spectators dress in red, white and blue during the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in downtown, Indianapolis.

(Cara Penquite/IndyStar)

14 / 30

See scenes of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade downtown

Construction workers watch parade floats from above during the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in downtown, Indianapolis.

(Cara Penquite/IndyStar)

15 / 30

See scenes of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade downtown

Spectators wear red, white and blue or race themed attire during the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in downtown, Indianapolis.

(Cara Penquite/IndyStar)

16 / 30

See scenes of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade downtown

A giant red, white and blue eagle float is walked down the street during the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in downtown, Indianapolis.

(Cara Penquite/IndyStar)

17 / 30

See scenes of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade downtown

Confetti rains down as Loren Allred sings “The Star Spangled Banner” during the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in downtown, Indianapolis.

(Cara Penquite/IndyStar)

18 / 30

See scenes of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade downtown

A spectator wears race-themed jewelry during the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in downtown, Indianapolis.

(Cara Penquite/IndyStar)

19 / 30

See scenes of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade downtown

Alexander Rossi rests his foot in an elevated position while waving to the crowds during the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in downtown, Indianapolis.

(Cara Penquite/IndyStar)

20 / 30

See scenes of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade downtown

Spectators gathered to watch the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in downtown, Indianapolis.

(Cara Penquite/IndyStar)

21 / 30

See scenes of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade downtown

The Colts’ cheerleaders dance while Ephraim Owens sings “Don’t Stop Believin'” during the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in downtown, Indianapolis.

(Cara Penquite/IndyStar)

22 / 30

See scenes of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade downtown

Spectators watch the participants during the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in downtown, Indianapolis.

(Cara Penquite/IndyStar)

23 / 30

See scenes of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade downtown

The Wienermobile rolls down Pennsylvania Street during the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in downtown, Indianapolis.

(Cara Penquite/IndyStar)

24 / 30

See scenes of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade downtown

Parade attendees cheer and take pictures as confetti rained down at the end of the performance of “The Star Spangled Banner” at the beginning of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in downtown, Indianapolis.

(Cara Penquite/IndyStar)

25 / 30

See scenes of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade downtown

Spectators dressed in theme with the race during the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in downtown, Indianapolis.

(Cara Penquite/IndyStar)

26 / 30

See scenes of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade downtown

Construction workers watch the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in downtown, Indianapolis.

(Cara Penquite/IndyStar)

27 / 30

See scenes of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade downtown

The Wienermobile rolls down Pennsylvania Street during the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in downtown, Indianapolis.

(Cara Penquite/IndyStar)

28 / 30

See scenes of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade downtown

A spectator eats a pizza during the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in downtown, Indianapolis.

(Cara Penquite/IndyStar)

29 / 30

See scenes of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade downtown

Spectators watch the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in downtown, Indianapolis.

(Cara Penquite/IndyStar)

30 / 30

See scenes of the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade downtown

Confetti fills the sky after Loren Allred sang “The Star Spangled Banner,” during the Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in downtown, Indianapolis.

(Cara Penquite/IndyStar)

Even after Siakam explained the mix-up, the vendor still wasn’t convinced. The video shows her eventually looking it up herself before realizing the 6-foot-8 Pacers star was telling the truth the entire time.

Advertisement

Still, no special treatment

After all the back-and-forth, Siakam paid the $10 anyway.

The exchange quickly became a humorously relatable race weekend moment — even basketball royalty isn’t safe from negotiating for parking in downtown Indianapolis.

Saturday’s parade wound through downtown as one of the city’s signature traditions leading into race day, featuring marching bands, floats, giant balloons, celebrities and all 33 IndyCar drivers competing in Sunday’s Indy 500.

Jessica Garcete is an IndyStar sports reporter. Get IndyStar’s motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. Subscribe to theYouTube channel IndyStar TV: IndyCar for a behind-the-scenes look at IndyCar and expert analysis.

Advertisement

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indy 500 parade Grand Marshal Pascal Siakam had to pay for parking