Luka Doncic and the Lakers faced off against the Knicks tonight at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena. With a little under five minutes left in the third quarter, the Slovenian star may have given himself a reason to be worried about getting a notification from the NBA’s league office tomorrow or later today.
Turning the ball over on the offensive end, Doncic was tracking back on defense when he tried to draw a charge on Mohamad Diawara. When the Lakers’ star came crashing to the floor, he turned to the officials seeking an offensive foul on the Knicks. Subsequently, as he did not get a call in his favor, he rubbed his fingers together like money, seemingly questioning the integrity of the official.
Did Luka Doncic just signal what I think he signaled with his hands? 😬 pic.twitter.com/FKGgJpj5kd
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) March 8, 2026
Making outright gestures during the game often puts players in trouble. In 2023, Doncic made a similar gesture towards the officials during a game between the Mavericks and the Warriors, which eventually got him a $35,000 fine.
Earlier, in 2024, Rudy Gobert also made a similar gesture to the officials when he objected to their decisions on two different occasions. Following this, he was fined $100,000 and $75,000, respectively, for both instances.
Therefore, as the trend suggests, the league could now fine the Slovenian superstar an amount higher than a six-figure number ($100,000) for the most recent infraction.
Doncic has already received 15 technical fouls this season. He is one technical foul away from being assessed a one-game suspension.
Section V (d) of Rule No. 12 of the NBA rulebook suggests that an official has the right to assess a technical foul for disrespectfully addressing the official and any overt action indicating resentment to a foul call or a no-call.
Had the referee seen his gesture and considered it to be directed towards questioning the integrity of the way in which the game is being officiated, Doncic could have received his 16th technical foul of the season and would have been forced to sit out when the Lakers host the Timberwolves on Tuesday.
The Lakers ended up winning the game 110-97. Doncic finished with 35 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals while shooting 11-25 from the field (44.0 FG%) and 5-16 from beyond the arc (31.25 3P%).
Shortly before this incident, Josh Hart nearly headbutted Austin Reaves in the face while gathering a rebound. Even though the contact was unintentional, any contact with the face is usually reviewed as a possible violation.
But in this case, the play was allowed to go as the Knicks immediately called a timeout. Also, Austin Reaves was not seen complaining to the officials. After the game, even Mike Brown admitted the Knicks got away with fouling on several occasions.
Josh Hart headbutt Austin Reaves in the face, Reaves went down holding his face.
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) March 8, 2026
There are many such decisions that the players could have a problem with. However, do you think this is the right way to conduct yourself as a leader on the court during the game? Let us know what you think about the officiating and Doncic’s complaining in the comments section.
