A massive fine. Apparently, it only took a charged-up reaction for Jaylen Brown to burn a hole in his pocket. But the NBA will not tolerate such behavior. With this move, Adam Silver and the league showed a no-nonsense approach to any inappropriate actions that go beyond the rulebook, making sure the world knows who the boss is. Wondering what the Celtics swingman did to deserve this? Let’s dive into the details.

ESPN’s Shams Charania broke the news earlier today, stating, “Celtics’ Jaylen Brown has been fined $25,000 for throat slash gesture toward Isaiah Stewart on Wednesday.”

The incident occurred with 12 seconds remaining in the opening quarter when Brown delivered an electrifying two-handed dunk over the Pistons’ offensive center. However, the reaction didn’t come immediately. He waited a few seconds before making WWE’s The Undertaker’s signature throat-slash gesture toward Stewart.

Brown was prepared to face the consequences, admitting,

“Just caught up in the moment, I guess. Big play,” during the postgame press conference. He added, “I think that the NBA and the NBPA [Players Association] are sensitive about the gestures and things like that, so you’ve got to be mindful of that.”

And he was right, the league didn’t take long to make its decision. On Friday, Joe Dumars, the NBA’s head of basketball operations,

stated that Brown would be penalized “for making an inappropriate gesture on the playing court.”

The game ended with a 130-120 victory in favor of the Celtics, with only Brown on the losing end. However, his $304 million contract is more than enough to cover the fine without much impact on him. The throat slash gesture wasn’t the only highlight-worthy moment from the matchup but his performance too was top-notch.

Jaylen Brown steals the show against the Pistons

The reigning champions came out strong from the start, building a 14-point lead in the first half. The Pistons showed signs of a comeback in the second half, but they couldn’t close the gap. Jaylen Brown played a key role in securing Boston’s eighteenth victory of the season, contributing a game-high 28 points, along with 6 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 steals, missing the double-double by an inch.

Though he struggled from beyond the arc, making just one of his six attempts, he made up for it with his remarkable shooting skills from the field. Brown entertained the TD Garden crowd, knocking down 10 of his 21 shots from the field, while showcasing his all-around dominance by taking control at both ends of the court.

Jaylen Brown continues to be the backbone of the Shamrocks this season, leading the team in all 17 games with an average of 25.2 points. He missed one game due to illness but has otherwise been consistently dominant on the floor. Given his current performance, Brown could be a strong contender for the MVP title this season.