All-Star Weekend is an important event in the NBA calendar. This is why they fined Kobe Bryant $40,000 for missing a few events in 2012.
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The NBA is no stranger to players misbehaving both on and off the court. To deter such behavior, the league usually levies heavy fines and at times even suspensions.
Over the years, there have been numerous players who have been on the receiving end of some hefty fines. The likes of Dennis Rodman, Draymond Green, Rasheed Wallace, and other usual suspects come to mind.
However, there was a time when Kobe Bryant got a pretty crazy fine. $40,000 to be exact, all for missing a few events at All-Star Weekend.
Kobe Bryant was fined $40,000 for missing media events at the 2012 NBA All-Star Weekend
The NBA All-Star Weekend is an exciting weekend for NBA fans across the world. They tune in each year to watch their favorite players participate in numerous events, from the Dunk Contest to the All-Star Game.
As such, the NBA expects all their top stars to be present. Well, back in 2012, one of the league’s biggest stars, Kobe Bryant was nowhere to be seen during a media session and a charity event that year.
Kobe Bryant has been named to 18 straight All-Star Games, a record for consecutive selections. pic.twitter.com/fNVnulNJAT
— #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) February 10, 2016
The Black Mamba was fined $40,000, in what was a tough weekend for him. Especially considering he broke his nose on the night thanks to a hard foul from Dwayne Wade.
Kobe would end up wearing a mask in the weeks that followed. However, it is safe to say that this was the last time Kobe ever missed an All-Star weekend.
Kobe Bryant has gotten into trouble on several occasions during his time in the NBA
While in the league, Kobe embodied the words ‘Mamba Mentality‘, and more often than not was cool, calm, and collected. However, there were times when he acted out, getting into fights, causing media outbursts, and so on.
19 years ago today, Chris Childs hit Kobe Bryant with the 1-2
When asked if Childs was trying to get under his skin and see how he’d react, Bryant replied, “I don’t think so. I don’t think he’s that smart.” pic.twitter.com/dPJR1zox35
— Andscape (@andscape) April 2, 2019
These of course have led to a few suspensions, as well as a couple of fines. There was even a time when the five-time champ got slapped with a humongous $100,000 fine.