NBA slams Tyronn Lue with $35,000 fine for criticizing officiating
L.A. Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue has been fined following a viral video in which he was said to be lampooning officiating.
The league announced on Friday that Lue has been fined $35,000. As stated by the NBA, the reason for the fine was that Lue issued a “public criticism of the officiating” and questioned their “integrity.” The release mentioned that Lue’s actions occurred outside the Clippers locker room after Wednesday’s win over the Golden State Warriors.
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That leaves no doubt about what sparked Lue’s fine. The usually mild-mannered coach was ejected from Wednesday’s game after picking up two technical fouls for arguing two separate officiating decisions in the fourth quarter. The Clippers would come back to win the game after Lue’s ejection, though, erasing what was once a 15-point deficit.
In the tunnel after the contest, the viral video showed a giddy Lue emerging out of the locker room and loudly exclaiming, ‘Where the refs at now? Cheating [guys], that’s all they’ve been doing.” Lue also later appeared to make a harsh reference to Wednesday’s crew chief James Williams.
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Though Lue did not make his comments at a news conference or in another public forum, the NBA has still decided to punish him for the remarks. Lue becomes the second member of the Clippers organization to draw a league fine in as many days.