Luka Doncic committed a grievous error in Sunday’s 110-97 win over the Knicks. En route to a 35-point performance (along with eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals on 11-25 shooting), the Lakers guard was caught making money signs toward the refs that initially went unnoticed on the floor.
Today, however, the NBA announced a fine of $50,000 for the Lakers guard. It’s not as high as some initial speculation suggested, but it’s still a notable penalty for one of the faces of the game.
“Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic has been fined $50,000 for directing an inappropriate and unprofessional gesture toward a game official,” the NBA released in a statement. “The incident occurred with 4:35 remaining in the third quarter of the Lakers’ 110-97 victory over the New York Knicks on March 8 at Crypo.com Arena.”
The NBA has fined Luka Doncic $50,000 for his “money gesture” towards the referee.
(h/t @TomerAzarly)pic.twitter.com/9rffpFk9p0
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) March 10, 2026
Luka Doncic has yet to make a statement on this development, but $50,000 is akin to pocket change for someone who makes over $45 million per year. He’s not going to change by now, and fans don’t expect the outbursts to stop now.
“Proportionally speaking, if you were to make $150,000 a year, that’s a $10 fine for you,” wrote one fan on X.
For Doncic, arguing with the refs has become a common practice, ingrained into his very legacy as a player. In this case, the outburst came after a no-call from the officials on a potential charge. While he didn’t get away completely unscathed, Luka is lucky that the refs didn’t catch it in real time, or it could have led to a technical foul and subsequent suspension.
“Should fine him a lot more and suspend,” one critic wrote in the comments. “Biggest crybaby of the NBA.”
Of course, there were also a fair number of Luka defenders. In their minds, the NBA is out of line for suspending him so much when all he did was make subtle hand gestures. Unlike prior incidents with other players, Doncic did not gesture anything derogatory. Nevertheless, for some reason, the NBA is particularly sensitive to those kinds of allegations.
“You make a money gesture towards the referee, and you get fined $50,000. Just another reason why people don’t like watching the sport anymore, unbelievable,” one fan wrote.
Some even took it a step further by arguing that the NBA shouldn’t be trying to interpret hand signals like that at all. Unless it’s an obvious antagonistic act, fans will argue that they shouldn’t be stepping in at all.
“I don’t think the NBA should be allowed to interpret the intentions of hand gestures. That’s insane. Money signing with your hands is not a bad act,” a fan posted on X. “It’s bad once you attach your own hypothesis for why it’s being done. That’s wrong. Where do you draw the line then?”
Ultimately, it all falls on Luka. Whether you love or hate the current officiating system, Doncic has to abide by the same rules as everyone else. He knows he has to improve at avoiding in-game battles with the refs, but it’s not going to change overnight.
Old habits die hard, and this one is going to be particularly tough to break. Still, with enough effort and focus, Doncic can learn how to control his frustration on the court and direct it toward his opponents rather than the officials.
