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We evaluated the performance of the (1,3)-β-<span style="font-variant: small-caps;">d</span>-glucan (BDG) assay on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) as a possible aid to the diagnosis of <i>Pneumocystis jirovecii</i> pneumonia. BALF samples from 18 patients with well-characterized proven, probable, and possible <i>Pneumocystis</i> pneumonia and 18 well-matched controls were tested. We found that the best test performance was observed with a cut-off value of 128 pg/mL; receiver operating characteristic/area under the curve (ROC/AUC) was 0.70 (95% CI 0.52–0.87). Sensitivity and specificity were 78% and 56%, respectively; positive predictive value was 64%, and negative predictive value was 71%. The low specificity that we noted limits the utility of BALF BDG as a diagnostic tool for <i>Pneumocystis</i> pneumonia.