Fred VanVleet might well have landed himself in trouble with the NBA for his actions in the closing stages of the Houston Rockets’ 104-98 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. VanVleet was called for an offensive foul with just over four seconds remaining in the contest and went off on the refs, pointing at them and seemingly calling each of them a “b****.”
OMG lmaooo
Fred VanVleet just pointed at all 3 REFS and said “YOU A BITCH” to EVERY SINGLE ONE 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/fXwwnr7yKT
— Hater Report (@HaterReport_) November 24, 2024
VanVleet almost certainly will get suspended for that outburst. While that clip suggested he might have poked one of the officials in the eye, another angle showed he didn’t.
Fred VanVleet 100% just copped a suspension at the end of this game…
Told the ref “you’re a b*tch and pointed his finger right in his face” pic.twitter.com/iNjLJ3EFeg
— Bradeaux (@BradeauxNBA) November 24, 2024
The fact that VanVleet didn’t make contact might have saved him to an extent. Had he poked the official, we would not have seen him on the court again for a while.
After the game, Crew Chief Courtney Kirkland confirmed in the Pool Report that VanVleet had been ejected for “vulgar language and pointing at all three officials” Kirkland also admitted, though, that the Rockets guard should not have been called for an offensive foul on that play, which was what led to that outburst.
VanVleet’s actions here are reminiscent of Kelly Oubre Jr.’s from last season. After his Philadelphia 76ers lost to the Los Angeles Clippers, Oubre went off on the refs in an NSFW rant. He appeared to not only call the refs a “b***h” then but also their parents and grandmother.
VanVleet himself is no stranger to epic rants about the officials. After his Toronto Raptors lost to the Clippers in March 2023, VanVleet slammed referee Ben Taylor in an NSFW rant in his postgame press conference. We didn’t get anything like that when he spoke to the media after this loss to the Trail Blazers, though. VanVleet was asked about that foul call and he didn’t want to talk about it.
“I think I’m in enough trouble as it is tonight, so I probably don’t need to discuss too much officiating with you guys. Heat of the moment, you always feel right — I know the refs aren’t trying to be wrong but we disagreed quite a bit tonight.”
VanVleet’s frustrations would have been amplified by the fact that the Rockets were about to lose and that he hadn’t played well. The 30-year-old had just eight points, five rebounds, five assists, and one steal against the Trail Blazers. He went 4-13 from the field and 0-6 from beyond the arc as his team dropped to 12-6.
The Rockets will take on the Minnesota Timberwolves next in an NBA Cup game at Target Center on Tuesday at 8 PM ET. They are 2-0 in the Cup this season but getting another win will prove to be a bit more difficult than previously expected, with VanVleet almost certainly getting suspended.
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