Zach Collins showed the middle finger to a referee after getting ejected in the San Antonio Spurs‘ 140-113 loss to the Sacramento Kings. And for this lewd gesture of disrespect, the NBA’s Executive Vice President Joe Dumars announced that Collins would be fined $35,000. Such a large sum for a fine is understandable given the blatant show of disrespect.
Zach Collins gave the ref the middle finger after getting ejected
Adam Silver is going to make an example out of him 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/nBSsQCrS25
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) December 7, 2024
Collins was called for consecutive technical fouls after protesting a foul call during the fourth quarter of the game. Clearly, he was very frustrated with the decision and decided to show the referees how he really felt about them with the gesture. While Collins might feel hard done by his treatment by the referees, one can’t blame the NBA for making an example out of him.
This altercation between Collins and the referees is yet another example of the contentious relationship between players and referees in the NBA. There have been numerous instances of players and referees butting heads over calls, and when players choose to protest too much, they will hand them technical fouls or eject them from games.
But even the referees can’t always get it right. Recently, Ja Morant threw quite a tantrum after being ejected from a game. However, while his reaction may have been a little wild, he was in the right, as the referees admitted after the game that the decision to eject him from the game was the wrong one, and he had done nothing wrong.
San Antonio Spurs Need Collins’ Leadership
It would be a stretch to call Zach Collins one of the Spurs’ most important players. He plays his role well as a rotational piece. But it his veteran presence on the team that is perhaps one of his most important contributions. Of course, a player like Chris Paul, who has been in the NBA for almost two decades, is the veteran leader of the team.
But Collins, who has been on the team for three seasons and in the NBA for seven years, is one of the more experienced players on the team. And he plays a crucial part in setting the culture for the entire team.
His numbers have never been overly impressive. This season, he is averaging 6.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game. And while he has a few 10+ point performances this season, he is primarily there to provide big-man cover to the likes of Victor Wembanyama.
For Collins, a gesture like this sends the wrong message to his young teammates. No matter how much you disagree with the referees, showing such blatant disrespect to them, especially for the whole world to see is a bad idea. It shows a degree of immaturity that his young and impressionable teammates might think is acceptable.
Hopefully, the San Antonio Spurs coaching staff address this matter internally and make sure that the young players don’t get the wrong idea.
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