The NBA Fined DeMar DeRozan For Throwing A Ball Towards A Referee And Into The Stands


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The San Antonio Spurs had to finish out Game 4’s loss to the Denver Nuggets without DeMar DeRozan on the floor. The star guard drove towards the basket and got called for a charge. DeRozan took exception to the call and immediately chucked it towards referee Scott Foster. The ball proceeded to go into the crowd and DeRozan was ejected.

On Sunday, DeRozan was fined $25,000 for throwing the ball at Foster. The NBA has always taken a stance against players showing up referees, and chucking a ball in the refs direction definitely falls into that category.

The ref in question that called the foul on DeRozan, Foster, is not well liked by players or fans, so it’s not surprising to draw a player’s ire. That said, no matter who makes this call, DeRozan can’t respond in this way. It only resulted in a fine, but if the ball had injured someone in the stands or hit Foster, then it’s not a stretch to assume the league would have made this an even more harsh punishment.

Game 5 will return to Denver on Tuesday with the series tied at two games. The Spurs will look to re-take control of the series so they can head back to San Antonio for a clinching Game 6.