One thing the NBA holds onto the beloved NFL is weekly player drama.
NFL players can stir up trouble with each other on the field; meanwhile, the NBA guys are ready to take on anyone or anything, standing in their way on an errant foul call or a loss of effort.
A series of fines were imposed by the NBA on Monday after a turbulent weekend from its players.
Minnesota Timberwolves guard D’Angelo Russell and Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson have to spit cheddar cheese for violating codes of conduct.
Russell was fined by the Association for insulting a game official Saturday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was ejected from the game and will now have to pay $20,000 “for addressing inappropriate language to a game official”.
This isn’t the first time Russell has been kicked out of a game because of his disagreement with a referee.
As part of the Golden State Warriors in 2019, Russell was tripped by a rude call and put himself in the face of a game official, prompting an ejection.
The 26-year-old may need to consider therapy.
LOOK:
Also paying for his misdeeds is Jordan Clarkson, who threw his blindfold into the stands in a moment of frustration against the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday.
Clarkson tossed the game apparel piece, not hitting a fan but getting a good thrill from nearby onlookers.
LOOK:
Clarkson and Russell capped off what has been a spirited week for NBA stars.
The conference headlines on Sunday were an altercation between Hawks guard Trae Young and coach Nate McMillan. Young reportedly missed a game against the Denver Nuggets for refusing to participate in a shoot-around, raising concerns in Atlanta about his maturity.
We’ve seen that even game officials are ready to get themselves into trouble.
Last week, reports surfaced that longtime NBA referee Tony Brothers was sidelined from an officiating assignment after calling Dallas Mavericks forward Spencer Dinwiddie a “b *** ha ** motherf **** r”.