Robert Covington was fined $15,000 Friday for throwing his face mask at a National Basketball Association official during a game Wednesday, according to NBA officials.
The Portland Trail Blazers’ Covington, the team’s power forward, was fined $15,000 for throwing his face mask at an NBA official during a game against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, where he was ejected and assessed a technical foul at the end of the game’s second quarter. The Trail Blazers lost the game 121-125 after the team replaced Covington with Larry Nance Jr.
Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse was fined $50,000 earlier this year for throwing his face mask behind the scorer’s table and using profanity at game officials.
LEBRON JAMES AND ISAIAH STEWART FACE SUSPENSIONS AFTER ON-COURT CLASH
The Los Angeles Lakers’ Lebron James was also fined $15,000 on Friday for making an obscene gesture during a Wednesday game against the Indiana Pacers. The gesture was a provocative dance move, the “Sam Cassell dance,” James made celebrating a three-point shot toward the end of the game, which had gone into overtime. The Lakers ended up winning the game.
James missed the previous game because of a one-game suspension for hitting Detroit’s center Isaiah Stewart in the face. He was issued a warning against using profanity after he used profanity during a post-game interview where he talked about the suspension.
James’s fine comes after Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet was fined $15,000 for doing the same dance move on Nov. 12.
Sam Cassell, who played for the Milwaukee Bucks, made the move famous after watching the movie Major League II. Cassell said he was not a fan of the NBA fining players for the dance move.
“It’s so stupid,” Cassell said in an interview with The Athletic. “C’mon. It’s so stupid. It’s just so stupid to take somebody’s money for that. Like, c’mon now. It ain’t like you’re giving somebody the finger. That’s a fine. You know what I’m saying? C’mon.”
The NBA has been fining players between $15,000 and $25,000 for the move since 2011.
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Other athletes have attracted attention for their stances regarding professional sports’ COVID-19 policies. The Green Bay Packers activated Aaron Rodgers, who spurred confusion about whether he was vaccinated, earlier this month after the unvaccinated player, who contracted the disease and made headlines for his criticism of the National Football League’s COVID-19 protocols, was taken off the COVID-19 list following a 10-day quarantine.
