After Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert called out poor officiating following a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, the NBA decided to take action. On Friday morning, the NBA announced they would be fining Mitchell $25,000 and Gobert $20,000.
According to the report from the NBA, the league fined Mitchell for “public criticism of the officiating” and “improper conduct while exiting the floor.” The league fined Gobert for public criticism of officials.
Mitchells’ fine comes from a play in the final seconds of an overtime loss to Philadelphia. With roughly 40 seconds remaining in overtime, Mitchell attempted a three-over Sixers guard Ben Simmons. Mitchell missed the shot and appeared to think he was fouled in the process of shooting. On the way back down the court, Mitchell lashed out at the official, resulting in the technical and ejection.
Gobert and Mitchell’s Comments
During the post-game press conference, Mitchell once against addressed his frustration with the officiating:
“I’m never, ever one to blame the refs, to blame officials. I could say that we could have done more, but this is getting out of hand…and we’re nice, we don’t complain, we don’t get frustrated, we fight through things, and the fact that we just continually get screwed by this — like we won this game, in my personal opinion.”
Jazz Guard Donovan Mitchell
While Gobert was not ejected, the Frenchman also had some strong words for the officiating crew following the loss. Gobert was evidently frustrated with the lack of fouls called in favor of Jazz guard Mike Conley:
Mike Conley has never had technical in his life and they don’t (expletive) respect him. So, maybe he should get more technicals. I don’t know what he needs to do, Mike Conley, to get some respect.
Jazz Center Rudy Gobert
The Jazz will look to bounce back with upcoming games against the Rockets and Warriors.
