In recent weeks, Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic's interactions with officials have been much discussed. Doncic committed his 15th technical foul of the season during the Lakers' loss to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, and was then fined by the NBA following the team's win against the New York Knicks on Sunday.
The NBA announced Tuesday that Luka Doncic was fined $50,000 for making an inappropriate gesture toward officials during the Lakers' game against the Knicks. The incident occurred when Doncic attempted to take a charge against Knicks forward Mohamed Diawara. As soon as Doncic hit the floor, no call was made and the Knicks easily got two points.
Doncic immediately turned toward the nearest referee and made a symbol with his hands that has been used jokingly by NBA players in the past to suggest that officials get paid when they don't make certain calls.
The Lakers still have to win, and they have another big game against a good team on Tuesday as they host the Minnesota Timberwolves. But Doncic's standoff with officials will clearly be worth monitoring. Another technical foul and he is automatically suspended for one game.
Before the Lakers' win against the Indiana Pacers last Friday, head coach JJ Redick defended his superstar's competitive fire during his recent conversation with officials.
Amidst all this, Doncic has been on a tear this season, averaging a league-leading 32.5 points. He is also leading the league in shot attempts at 22.0, 3-point attempts at 10.4, 3-pointers at 3.8 and free-throw attempts at 10.3.
