Rockets owner Leslie Alexander has been hit with a $100K fine by the NBA for confronting a referee during live game action in Game 5 of his club’s first round series, the league announced today in a press release.
The incident occurred near the end of the first quarter of the Rockets’ series-clinching win over the Thunder on Tuesday night. With the Thunder controlling the ball, Alexander got up from his courtside side, walked over to referee Bill Kennedy, and appeared to express his displeasure with a call before walking back to his seat (video link).
While we’ve seen a number of players and coaches fined already during the NBA postseason, the $100K fine for Alexander is the largest penalty handed out by the league since the playoffs begin. Of course, as the Rockets’ owner, Alexander is more equipped to pay that fine than any player or coach.
Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale was docked $30K for criticizing officials in his post-game press conference, while Marcus Smart, Rajon Rondo, Patrick Beverley, and Kelly Oubre were each fined $25K for various infractions.