The past few weeks have been quite eventful for Luka Doncic. Some of it has been good, like leading the Lakers in scoring in 11 straight games, and helping them to six wins in their last seven. Other parts? Not so much, as it was recently revealed he’s locked in a custody battle with his ex for his two daughters. And when you thought that at least things were going well for him on the court, the NBA slapped a fine on him.
Advertisement
It was announced on Tuesday that Doncic was being fined $50,000 for what the league called an “inappropriate and unprofessional gesture” towards the referees. The incident in question happened during the Lakers’ 110-97 win over the Knicks on Sunday.
In the third quarter, Luka attempted to take a charge, but was instead called for a blocking foul. He reacted by rubbing his fingers together in a money gesture toward the referee. Of course, $50,000 is a pittance for someone who is making almost $50 million this season. However, the fine is a clear sign that the league is getting tired of Luka’s constant haranguing of the officials.
On No Fouls Given, Danny Green and Paul Pierce discussed the fine, and they were split. Green didn’t see Luka’s gesture as being worthy of a fine.
“I think every complaint is saying the refs are cheating. ‘You’re cheating me.’ I lump it all together. I’m complaining [that] you’re sabotaging me and us. You’re cheating us. It’s just another complaint to me … To me, it’s just not that big of a deal,” said Green.
Pierce, however, thought that $50,000 was a steep price, but he was more sympathetic to the NBA on this one. “This is the thing about Luka,” he began.
“He’s developed a relationship with the refs sort of like certain players around the league, that sometimes you get to the no-tolerance zone, like Rasheed [Wallace], like Draymond [Green], it’s just like, the refs are tired of Luka Doncic because after every play, there’s some type of gesture,” added Pierce.
Luka is notorious as the biggest complainer in the league, and Pierce thinks his adversarial relationship with the refs was definitely a factor in the fine and the severity of it.
“If it was anybody else, not Luka, at this point, it probably wouldn’t have happened,” said Pierce. “But since he’s just known to be a guy who’s just constantly on the refs, gestures and all, they were like, ‘I’ve had enough.'”
Various gambling scandals have rocked the NBA of late. That includes, but is not limited to, the scandal involving Tim Donaghy, Jontay Porter, Terry Rozier, Chauncey Billups, and Damon Jones. So the league has to be particularly sensitive when it comes to any suggestion of gambling-related impropriety.
The fact that it’s Luka, the poster child for complaining, gives the league the perfect cover to make an example and cut this kind of gesture off before it becomes popular.
And, if there’s anybody who should be upset about the fine, it’s the Wolves. They, after all, had the unfortunate luck of having to face a ticked-off Luka on Tuesday night. And Minnesota got torched by a 31-point triple-double from Doncic.
