The Cleveland Cavaliers always find a way to get their W even if the refs are against them! No, I didn’t say this. The Purple & Gold team’s shining prospect, Ty Jerome, dropped a direct accusation on a female referee, risking a hefty fine. Today, after an emotional win at TD Garden, the table-toppers took on the young and upcoming Portland Trail Blazers. Mind you, it wasn’t a cakewalk for the Cavs, as they had to snatch the W in overtime.

At the same time, the 12th-seeded Trail Blazers didn’t just pull off a surprise performance out of nowhere. Over the past few weeks, they’ve quietly stunned some of the league’s top teams, taking down the Bucks, Pacers, Suns, and Magic.

A huge part of their success? Their young core, led by Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe. But tonight, it was Deni Avdija who stole the show. Dropping 30 points and 12 rebounds, he gave the Blazers the edge over the title favorites, proving once again that this team is capable of causing major upsets.

However, Ty Jerome, who put up a 25-point effort off the bench, wasn’t happy with the way the game went. Following the 129-133 OT win, he said, “I thought the refs were really bad tonight. Especially Natalie (Sago) … That said, you just gotta keep playing and that’s what we did.” The three on-court officials who took care of the business were Pat Fraher, Jenna Schroeder, and Natalie Sago. Out of which, two of them are female refs.

We’re committed to keeping the focus on officiating, not turning this into a gender debate. However, it’s worth noting the gradual rise of female referees in the NBA.

Take Natalie Sago, for example. When she was promoted to full-time officiating, she became just the fifth active female referee in the league. But she didn’t just walk onto an NBA court—she put in seven years of work in the G-League and WNBA before earning her spot.

That said, referee criticism is nothing new. Players and coaches regularly express frustration, and when they cross the line, the league isn’t shy about handing out fines. Now, the question is—how much will Ty Jerome have to pay for his latest outburst?

Top Comment by Arrow

No, ‘He was right on Point, She Ref. Like She was being payed off or something, very bad officiating, very...more

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Debate

How much will Cavs star Ty Jerome have to pay the league?

Firstly, it’s important to understand that the league doesn’t have a fixed fine amount for criticizing refs. It depends on the NBA Commissioner and Adam Silver addresses it based on the severity of the issue. Let’s take a few examples from the past and determine Ty Jerome’s fate. 

The prime case study for this issue will be Anthony Edwards. We can even call him a fine machine, as he has paid $320k in fine amounts for various reasons. And, he topped the players by paying the highest amount for publicly criticizing the refs. The league issued a statement, accusing Ant-Man of “repeatedly” criticizing the ref and fined him $40,000. 

Moreover, the Wolves guard seemed unfazed by the drastic act, as even before the league slapped him with the fine, he said, “Imma take the fine because the refs did not give us no calls tonight. We had to play through every bump, every grab — I don’t know. I don’t know how we won tonight.” He was also caught on camera saying, “Cheating a– refs”. 

Apart from him, three other players have also paid fines for the same reason. It was Paul George, Dillon Brooks, and Trae Young, and all of them paid $35,000. So, Ty Jerome may have to pay between these two 5-figure values. How much do you think the league will charge him? Let us know in the comments.