The NBA has fined Rudy Gobert $75,000 for making a money gesture at a referee after a call in Game 4 of Timberwolves-Nuggets. He was fined $100,000 for making the same gesture at the officials 2 months ago.
Once again Rudy Gobert is fined in the most prestigious basketball league in the world. The French center was fined this Tuesday for inappropriate gestures he made after being whistled for an offensive foul in Sunday's game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets.
Gobert, who was coming off his fourth career Defensive Player of the Year award, had a poor Game 4 against the Nuggets and Denver capitalized it.
During the controversial play, Rudy can be seen pushing Denver's Jamal Murray in an attempt to dislodge the shooting guard and capture the offensive rebound. Frustrated by the rebound, Rudy made a controversial hand gesture, alluding that the officials were "bought".
The NBA, after experiencing some inconveniences regarding sports betting, has become more than strict about any kind of accusation, even in cases like this one, where it is clear that the gesture made by the Timberwolves center is more a product of his impotence regarding the game, rather than a suspicion per se.
According to the official statement issued by the league, the gesture is "unprofessional and inappropriate," and calls into question the integrity of the league and its referees.
It is not the first time that Rudy has been involved in such an incident, as he had already been fined this season for the same gesture.
The 31-year-old center is a phenomenal player and Minnesota depends a lot on him, he must find a way to focus on what he needs to do on the court and not lose his temper when things don't go his way.
The NBA has fined Rudy Gobert $75,000 for making a money gesture at a referee after a call in Game 4 of Timberwolves-Nuggets. He was fined $100,000 for making the same gesture at the officials 2 months ago.