The Milwaukee Bucks recently played against the Charlotte Hornets in a thrilling clash. However, it was not just a regular NBA game. After this particular game, Bucks Head Coach Doc Rivers received a fine from the NBA for ‘calling out the refs.’ On the other hand, Hornets superstar LaMelo Ball also was fined for his choice of words..
The NBA fined the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks $25,000 on Sunday. LaMelo Ball of the Hornets drove to the basket when he stumbled and fell. When it became evident that Ball had slid and fallen without being fouled, referees assessed Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo for an unnecessary foul on the play. Rivers lashed out at the refs which led to his fine.
As for Ball, he clarified that to prevent Antetokounmpo from making the buzzer-beating shot, the Hornets “loaded up” on him. However, he made an NSFW remark in the process, stating ‘We loaded up, no homo‘ which did not go down well with the NBA. He was fined $100k by the NBA for this particular statement as Shams Charania reported.
Fines keep rolling in from last night’s game. NBA fined Doc Rivers $25,000 for publicly criticizing officials afterward. pic.twitter.com/EltlRJdnGC
— Rod Boone (@rodboone) November 18, 2024
The NBA has fined Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball $100,000 for offensive and derogatory comments in postgame interview on Saturday.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 17, 2024
Ball, 23, has a history of being open with the media and has always been comfortable making his presence known in front of the camera. For example, just last month, he was caught swearing when discussing Kemba Walker at a news conference. Aside from this, he starred against the Bucks, dropping 26 points, gathering 9 rebounds, and providing 6 assists.
Referee’s crew chief opened up on the ‘wrong call’ towards LaMelo Ball
Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball has been involved in a lot of controversy lately. Notably, Ball was awarded free throws in the dying minutes of his matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks. This led to his side’s win against the Bucks.
However, the foul call given by the referee on Ball was the wrong one. This was because he tripped by himself rather than being fouled by anyone in the paint. Referee’s crew chief Curtis Blair opened up on this controversial matter after the game.
During live play we called illegal leg-to-leg contact, During post-game review when we looked at the play there was no illegal contact on the play.
Curtis Blair told after the game
“LaMelo tripped on his own pumas” – Hornets Commentators pic.twitter.com/iwkuApkeuR
— Follow HeavenlyBuckets (@heavenlybuckets) November 16, 2024
Unfortunately, there were no more challenges left for the Bucks. Crew head Curtis Blair later stated that if they had, the call would have been reversed on replay. However, this led to Bucks head coach Doc Rivers being fined by the NBA for calling the refs out publicly.
