The NBA does not take kindly to players or coaches criticizing the officials, regularly doling out fines to those that choose to go after the referees either on the court or with the media after a game.
That is doubly the case when someone dares go beyond calling them out for being bad and chooses to question the integrity of the officials, as that almost always leads to a heftier fine. The Minnesota Timberwolves should be keenly aware of this after Anthony Edwards got hit with a $40,000 fine for calling the officials “cheating ass refs” after a win over the Thunder earlier this year. However, that message was apparently not fully received by the whole locker room, as Rudy Gobert picked up the heftiest player fine of the year (non-suspension division) for making a money gesture at Scott Foster after he picked up his sixth foul and then calling out refs for possibly being influenced by sports betting after the game.
The following was released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/afAFpiVTR7
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) March 10, 2024
That was always going to draw a fine and as the league’s statement notes, they took into account Gobert’s history of criticizing referees when handing out the $100,000 penalty. Gobert did get that frustration off his chest but at the cost of a six-figure pay day for the league office, making for a very expensive vent session.