LeBron James: Los Angeles Lakers forward fined $15,000 for ‘obscene gesture’ celebration
By John Sinnott, CNN
LeBron James’ celebration of Thursday’s overtime victory over the Indiana Pacers has landed the Los Angeles Lakers forward with a fine from the NBA.
The $15,000 punishment was handed to James “for making an obscene gesture on the playing court,” said the NBA in a statement on Friday.
‘The incident occurred with 1:17 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Lakers’ 124-116 overtime win against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse,” said the NBA statement.
James made the gesture after making a deep three-point shot.
The NBA has consistently fined players between $15,000 to $25,000 for performing a routine popularized by former NBA star Sam Cassell when he was playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, reported The Athletic.
James was also warned for using “profane language during media availability in response to league imposed discipline,” according to Byron Spruell, who is president of the NBA’s League Operations in the NBA statement.
Last weekend, James was ejected after his elbow bloodied the eye of Detroit Pistons player Isaiah Stewart. That altercation then sparked a confrontational reaction from Stewart and an on-court scuffle.
Stewart was subsequently hit with a two-game suspension without pay by the NBA for “escalating” the situation and “repeatedly and aggressively” pursuing James, who himself received a one-game ban for the first time in his 19-year NBA career for “recklessly hitting” the Pistons center in the face.
This is the only the second time he’s been ejected from a game in his career.
After the Wednesday’s win over the Pacers, James said the one-game suspension was “some bullsh*t.”
The-CNN-Wire
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