Late into the game against the Indiana Pacers, LeBron James celebrated his clutch three-pointer by performing the infamous ‘big balls’ celebration Sam Cassell made popular many years ago.
Unfortunately, that gesture is banned by the league, and they’re making no exceptions for King James. The move is going to cost LeBron $15,000, as Shams Charania announced today on Twitter:
The NBA has fined LeBron James $15,000 for his Sam Cassell celebration on a clutch 3-pointer in Lakers’ win over Indiana.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 27, 2021
It’s chump change for Bron, so it’s no big deal, but that’s not all he got in trouble for. According to Shams, the league office also warned him about his response to the one-game suspension he received earlier in the week, which he heavily criticized to the media.
What happened was, it was a box-out. His elbow got kinda high and it got me off balance a little bit, and his elbow lifted my arm…and I basically tried to swing down on him, on his arm. And when I swing down on his arm, he got off balance and the side of my hand, you know, grazed his face. I knew right away I had caught some part of his head, so I went over to apologize to him and, obviously, you guys see what happened after that… I think it warranted an ejection because of what [might have] happened after that. You know, with me still in the game and excitement from the fans and what could possibly happen after that, obviously, but a suspension, I didn’t think it was warranted.”
James was also warned by the NBA for using profane language during media availability in response to his one-game suspension. https://t.co/Iwhj8dQCnj
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 27, 2021
Truth be told, it hasn’t been a very good week for LeBron James. With the Lakers still struggling to find their groove, he was charged on the court by an angry Isaiah Stewart, suspended for it, and then had to deal with heckling fans who took things too far during his first night back.
Now, he’s dealing with a fine and an official warning by the NBA.
Certainly not how anyone imagined this season would playout for the King.
