JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
‘Mad He Made Steve Kerr Cry’: Fans Massacre NBA After D’Angelo Russell Fined USD 15K for Kicking Ball Into Stands
Russell's costly kick NBA fines D'Angelo $15K for ball into stands, igniting fan backlash. Read more to know full details
On Saturday, after the Los Angeles Lakers scored an exhilarating 145-144 double-overtime victory over the Golden State Warriors, the NBA contacted D’Angelo Russell regarding his post-game antics.
The 27-year-old guard had a stand-out performance during the win but ended the night by kicking the ball into the stands.
This behavior led to disciplinary action by the league accused on Monday. The NBA put out a statement stating that kicking the game ball into the spectator stands during the Jan. 27 match against Golden State had earned Russell a fine of $15,000.
He violated league rules with this act, joining a list of players fined for similar misconduct in the past. Despite the fine being smaller than others for similar offenses, it remains a significant sum.
Russell had an impressive performance in the Lakers' win, scoring 28 points along with five assists, three rebounds, two steals, and a block.
This is just another outstanding display in a series of excellent games by the guard.
In his last six games, Russell has managed an average of 27.8 points with a 52% shooting average from the field and a robust 57.4% from long range.
These positive stats offer hope as the Lakers strive to move up the West standings.
Given his strong performances, it's possible that the Lakers could reconsider their previous idea of trading Russell, especially for Hawks guard Dejounte Murray, which was a long-standing rumor.
Russell's trade status, fine, and January dominance
It is uncertain whether Russell will stay with the Lakers beyond the trade deadline but his performance potentially justifies his retention, or at least increases his trade value.
The penalty for kicking the ball was probably expected by Russell since similar incidents have occurred before, such as Kyrie Irving's $25,000 fine in 2018 for hurling the ball into the spectator seats.
The heftier fine on Irving was likely due to the act being out of frustration after a Celtics loss to the Nuggets.
Regardless of Russell's motivation for kicking the ball after the Lakers' victory, the league did not consider it serious enough for a larger fine like Irving's.
Recently, the subject of various trade rumors, Russell has had a standout month this January. He achieved a personal record for his career in average points per game over a single month since January 2020, four years ago.
In the last 11 games, he has averaged 23.9 points and 6.2 assists with a 50.8% field goal percentage.
ALSO READ: LeBron James Rings - How many championship rings does LeBron have?
You May Like This
Latest Articles
