Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert has been fined $75K by the NBA, the league announced today in a press release (Twitter link). According to the announcement, the fine is in response to Gobert making an “inappropriate and unprofessional gesture that questions the integrity of the league and its game officials.”
After being whistled for a loose ball foul in Sunday’s Game 4 loss to Denver, Gobert was captured by TNT cameras making a “money” gesture by rubbing his fingers together as he walked back up the court (Twitter video link).
Gobert was hit with a $100K fine just over two months ago for making that same “money” sign after being called for a foul. In that instance, he didn’t back down during his postgame media session from the insinuation that gambling money was affecting certain referee calls, telling reporters, “Mistakes happen. Referees make mistakes, too. But sometimes I think it’s more than mistakes.”
The NBA’s press release today says that Gobert’s history of “improper conduct” toward game officials was taken into account. This fine was presumably smaller than the one in March because the brief gesture wasn’t quite as blatant and wasn’t accompanied by postgame commentary.
For what it’s worth, $100K is the maximum amount that the NBA can fine a player in cases like this one.
Gobert just had a baby. He shouldn’t be giving money away. Instead, he should play better. The Joker ate his lunch in games 3 and 4. Wolves played better without him in game 2.
He could be correct, officials have been impacting outcomes of all of the big 3 professional sporting venues.
NFL officials
MLB umpires
NBA referees
Has it increased with the ‘legalized’ gambling revenue each league absorbs? Seems when gambling was run by the mafia it was players making the difference has that now become league employees and be assured officials are owned by the league.
The officials have always impacted games. That is the nature of officiating. if they weren’t needed to impact the game by making calls the players would play games without any officiating. Trying to say that gambling has affected their calls is just another case of people falling in love with their conspiracy theories. Do you go home and look for burglers under the bed too? Horrible officiating has been a staple of professional sports going on 150 years. If you can’t prove corruption than stop trying to accuse people of it.
I mean the NBA has already caught at least 1 official that was betting on games when it was far less widespread and not legal hardly anywhere.
You know what else is impacting outcomes of games? Jokic eating Gobert’s lunch.
Players say the game is rigged. Ok I won’t watch then. Well guess what Rudy noone is paying you millions to play a sport noone watches anymore. Maybe there’s a better approach? Or maybe you’re just frustrated and should learn by now to keep it together.
Just out of curiosity, who is noone?
Jimmie Noone, the outstanding jazz musician.
What’s a Phan? At least his was a typo.
probably his last name
Noone is that guy on the sixers who can actually get past the first round of the playoffs
Plenty of people watch the WWE where it’s known it’s rigged…
Plenty of people watch boxing and UFC where it’s widely known people take dives…
It’s the way of sports entertainment in the states… Big money…
Yes, plenty of people are dumb.
I love that you think you’re paying Gobert’s salary
Deserved. Still, officiating got way worse when playoffs hit.
They are really bad at their jobs, or maybe the fact gambling on sports has skyrocketed into a billion dollar public business.
But money really doesn’t influence things, if a person could bet millions of dollars on a single game it’s not like they could afford to hire people at $20 an hour to follow referees and their families to make sure calls fell their way.
That’s a joke, but to say all the money around sports betting hasn’t effected umps/refs/officials is just putting your head in the sand.
I’m not the biggest Gobert fan, but I get his frustration. And I’m okay with his gestures. At least he has the plums to say something about it.
Problem is it was a legit call on him. He pushes on the back all the time. Doesn’t get called in regular season but will in a playoff game. The Ref was legit on the push in the back.
Exactly. Gobert just needs to grow up. He has a history of being an ass.
T-up these overwrought weepers. Speaking to a referee is one thing but carping is altogether different. Players overreacting has become endemic and serves no purpose whatsoever. Channel a little Richie Powers in the souls of NBA referees, and let the NBPA know in advance that the players childish overreactions will no longer be tolerated without technical foul penalties.
His fine went from 100 to 75?
Next one is 50 then 25 then free? You’d think the 2nd fine would be more than the first.
Probably didn’t want to do $100k because just a few days ago Murray only got $100k for throwing things on the court during action.
Read the entire post. It explains why it was smaller you simpleton.
The NBA has egg on it’s face…
The players acknowledge it, the Pacers had to put it in writing to get a fair whistle…
The NBA needs to fix it’s referee problems…
Pretty sure they ain’t that worried about conspiracy theorists on NBA message boards.
The NBA cares ;)
Adam Silver not able to sleep at night cuz I.M. Insane is on to him.