Minnesota Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert was recently fined $75,000 by the NBA for a gesture he made during Game 4 of the NBA Playoffs. During the team’s 115-107 loss to Denver at home, the four-time Defensive Player of the Year flashed a money gesture. The gesture is one that Gobert had made in the past as well, which the league took into consideration.
In a memo released on May 14, the NBA Communications Department announced that Rudy Gobert was fined $75,000 for making the gesture. Included in the league’s explanation of the fine, the announcement indicated that Gobert’s gesture was considered both inappropriate and unprofessional.
Moreover, the league felt as though his gesture questioned the integrity of the league and officials. The fine sparked some mixed reactions from the NBA community, with many reckoning Nuggets star Jamal Murray should have been fined for doing the same thing earlier in the series.
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As some were quick to point out, not only was Jamal Murray not fined for the gesture, the league also didn’t mention it in the announcement regarding his fine for throwing an object on court.
As one fan wrote, considering that Rudy Gobert is a repeat offender, it doesn’t make much sense that the league dropped his fine from $100,000 earlier in the season to $75,000 now.
“Why was it reduced from his 1st original $100K, and why was Murray’s money flashing feature ignored?” – @VelmaTheBulldog (Twitter)
“It’s the inconsistency that really gets to fans.” – @ZenTrader882 (Twitter)
Other fans were quick to point out that Jamal Murray should have been fined for doing the same thing:
“What about Murray, he did the same thing game 2” – @antmanfadeaway (Twitter)
“They didn’t fine Murray for doing the same thing? They didn’t even suspend him for throwing stuff on the court yet Gobert gets a huge fine? Seems rigged for the Nuggs ngl” – @KazHeatCulture (Twitter)
“Murray did the exact same thing tho and only got fined for throwing a bag in the court. Crazy” – @Wannabefresh (Twitter)
“But when Jamal Murray does it, it’s OK?” – @BronWorld (Twitter)
Other fans were quick to point out that Jamal Murray was in fact fined after Game 2:
“Yeah right… Wolfies fans are pathetic” – @VizcainoA (Twitter)
“He got fined 100K” – @JwacReactions (Twitter)
Some fans were quick to point out that Murray’s $100,000 fine made no mention of the gesture:
“His fine was just for throwing objects. They don’t even address he did the money symbol.” – @BauermeisterAB (Twitter)
Looking back at Rudy Gobert’s past fine for making the money gesture earlier in the season
As previously mentioned, this isn’t the first time that Rudy Gobert has made the money gesture this season. Earlier in the year, Gobert was fined $100,000 for making the same gesture at infamous veteran official Scott Foster.
In that instance, late in the fourth quarter Gobert was hit with a tech for making the gesture, with the moment contributing to the game going to overtime. Similarly, the Timberwolves ended up losing that game, with Gobert fouling out due to the technical foul.
Following the game, Rudy Gobert took aim at the officials for how they were calling the game, indicating that a rise in sports betting could be a contributing factor.
“I’ll bite the bullet again. I’ll be the bad guy. I’ll take the fine, but I think it’s hurting our game. I know the betting and all that is becoming bigger and bigger, but it shouldn’t feel that way.”
His comments likely played a contributing factor in the NBA‘s decision to hit him with a $100,000 fine. At the time, the announcement of the Timberwolves star’s fine indicated that his past instances of criticizing referees played a factor.
Given that he’s a repeat offender, it will be interesting to see if Rudy Gobert decides to temper his reactions in the future.
