Wolves' Rudy Gobert gets massive fine for 'money' gesture towards ref
CLEVELAND, OHIO - MARCH 08: Rudy Gobert #27 of the Minnesota Timberwolves reacts after being called for a technical foul by referee Natalie Sago #9 during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on March 08, 2 (Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The NBA has levied a massive fine against Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert over a gesture he made during the team's loss to Cleveland on Friday.
Gobert is being fined $100,000 for making what the league calls an "unprofessional gesture" towards official Scott Foster. Gobert was penalized with a technical foul after rubbing his fingers together in a "cash" gesture after being called for his sixth foul by referee Scott Foster late in the game.
The tech came at a bad time for the Wolves, who were leading by a point before the foul shots. The Wolves were able to push it to overtime but lost 113-104.
In a statement, the NBA says the fine "takes into account Gobert’s past instances of conduct detrimental to the NBA with regard to publicly criticizing the officiating."
Gobert does have a history when it comes to criticism of game officials. Last March, Gobert was fined $25,000 after he implied referees were purposely affecting the result of games. He also faced a $20,000 fine while playing for the Jazz for criticizing "awful" officiating after a game.
In 2018, Gobert faced another $15,000 fine for complaining Utah got unfair treatment from officials in a game against Miami due to being a smaller-market team. In 2017, Gobert was fined $25,000 for making contact with a referee over a foul call.
On the other side of things, referee Scott Foster has faced criticism in the past for his officiating, particularly his relationship with star point guard Chris Paul. The beef between the two has gotten so heated that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the situation after Paul was ejected during a game last December.
Foster has also faced criticism and rumors for his former friendship with disgraced NBA referee Tim Donaghy.