After knocking down a clutch three-pointer against the 76ers, Fred VanVleet broke out the “obscene gesture” – the “big balls” celebration.
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Fred VanVleet has been having a career-best season so far. With the departure of Kyle Lowry, and Pascal Siakam sidelined with injuries, FVV has done an incredible job in carrying a huge chunk of the team’s load. Averaging 19.7 points, 7.1 assists, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.5 steals, the undrafted guard has been playing a league-high 38.6 minutes per game, while shooting the ball on an efficient 43.5/39.6/83.3 split.
On Thursday night, VanVleet had a huge night in Toronto’s 115-109 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Recording 32 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds, Fred even dropped one of the most important shots of the game. During the dying seconds of the game, OG Anunoby found his leader wide open at the corner.
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The 6-foot-1 guard knocked down the clutch shot, making it a 2-possession game with only 23.9 seconds remaining. And as Philly called for a timeout, the 2019 NBA champ ran towards his team bench breaking out the controversial “big balls” dance.
NBA fines Fred VanVleet $15,000 for his obscene “big balls” celebration
The “big balls” dance was a celebration popularized by Sam Cassell, current assistant coach of Philly, back in 2006 during the playoffs. And in 2010, the NBA banned this celebration for having obscene gestures, not appropriate for the family-friendly league.
Over the years, several players have broken out of this infamous celebration despite being banned by the league. Marco Belinelli in the 2013 playoffs, and Julius Randle in 2016, were fined $15,000 by the league for the NSFW gesture. Kobe Bryant and Klay Thompson, have also broken out the celebration but were safe from any fine.
Sadly for VanVleet, he has been slapped with a $15,000 fine by the NBA. The officials termed the gesture as “obscene” in their announcement.
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The Raptors star is expected to earn almost $20 million this year. He certainly wouldn’t mind spending merely 0.075% of his yearly earnings for bringing back this iconic celebration to the association.
