Kickball violation: NBA fines Kings guard Buddy Hield $25,000 after win over Celtics
Kings guard Buddy Hield ended up getting fined after all, but it wasn’t for his comments about the officiating in Friday’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. It was something he did following Sacramento’s dramatic victory over the Boston Celtics on Sunday.
The NBA announced Monday that Hield was fined $25,000 for kicking the game ball into the stands during the excitement immediately after the Kings beat the Celtics 100-99 to snap their 10-game winning streak. When Marcus Smart’s shot at the buzzer rolled off the rim, Hield punched the ball toward midcourt, chased it down and booted it into the crowd at Golden 1 Center as the team celebrated.
Hield took to Twitter to offer his response to the fine Monday afternoon.
“They petty AF,” he said. “I should’ve really kick that s--- then.”
Hield evidently avoided a fine for his comments following Friday’s game against the Lakers. In his postgame remarks, he mentioned referee Rodney Mott by name while disputing a call against Harrison Barnes that sent Lakers star LeBron James to the line for the go-ahead free throws. The next day, the NBA’s last two-minute report acknowledged that James should have been called for an offensive foul on the play.
This story was originally published November 18, 2019 at 6:17 PM.
