The player addressed the referees with a rude gesture.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart, former best defender in the NBA, was fined $35,000 for making an obscene gesture to referees, the North American basketball league announced on Saturday.
The player gave the referees a middle finger at halftime of the game against the Utah Jazz on Thursday, won by the Lakers 145 to 135.
Skip the ad
He also received a technical foul during the game for discussing a referee’s decision. In this electric meeting, three Lakers players were reprimanded.
Smart is no stranger to excesses: he has already been fined $25,000 for insulting a spectator in 2017, $15,000 for criticizing referees in 2020, and another $35,000 for abusing language towards a referee in 2023.
The 31-year-old, voted best defender in the NBA in 2022, signed a two-season contract for the Lakers after a brief stint with Washington.
