It’s raining fines in the NBA world! In a Gen Z version, we can say that Adam Silver woke up and chose violence. While the players and refs are busy with the on-court actions, there are a few backroom operators who take note of the players’ words and actions both on and off the court. In that same vein, tonight, Anthony Edwards, Milwaukee bucks Coach Doc Rivers, and the Hornets star guard, LaMelo Ball, received a hefty fine on the same day for various reasons.

Before we head into individual details, let’s take a look at the fine amount slapped on each entity. Firstly, LaMelo Ball tops the list with a heavy $100,000 fine. Followed by Ant-Man and Doc Rivers with $35,000 and $25,000, respectively. In total, the league has bagged a total of $160k only through fines.

Anyway, let’s dive deep into the details of each fine, starting with LaMelo Ball. Following Saturday night’s close 115-114 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, Ball made an offensive statement, saying, “No Homo,” in the post-game interview when asked about the team’s defensive strategy on Giannis Antetokounmpo in the last play. The league fined him on account of an “Offensive and derogatory” comment.

Moreover, the All-Star seemed to have realized his mistake, as he apologized for his statement after tonight’s loss against the Cavaliers. He said, “Before we get started, I just want to address the comment yesterday… I really didn’t mean anything (by it) and don’t want to offend anybody. I’ve got love for everybody, and I don’t discriminate.” This is one of the instances where the league has proved to uphold the dignity and rights of minority communities. Nevertheless, let’s move on to the other two fines.

Anthony Edwards attracts the fine with an obscene gesture

Second in the lineup, the Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards is known for his unfazed mindset on the court. The young gun doesn’t even hesitate to trash-talk his childhood idol. In the same vein, he doesn’t think twice before showing any gestures at the game.

During the Friday night overtime win over the Sacramento Kings, Ant-Man flipped his middle finger at a fan in the very first quarter of the game. The star ran up the lane for a bucket, but the refs stopped him, calling a charging foul. And, in response, he showed an obscene gesture to a fan, and the league fined him on account of showing an “obscene gesture on the playing court.” 

Finally, we have Coach Doc Rivers, who is infamous for his blame game at the post-game presser. The champion coach doesn’t hesitate to call out his players after a defeat. However, this time, he blamed the refs and immediately paid the price for it. After the one-point loss against the Hornets over a controversial call, he said, “I thought the final play was the ref blowing a call,”

Later the officials clarified it post the game, saying, “During live play, we called illegal leg-to-leg contact… “During the post-game review, when we looked at the play, there was no illegal contact on the play.” However, the league cannot tolerate, “public criticism” of officiating, so they slapped a fine on him. What do you make of these fines? Let us know in the comments.