As we approach the two-month mark of the season, we’ve had players receive fines for all sorts of reasons, including, but not limited to, fighting (numerous players), throwing goggles into the crowd (Wendell Carter Jr.), and doing Sam Cassell’s signature dance (Fred VanVleet and LeBron James).
Now, we can add another item to the list: giving a fan the middle finger.
Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma is the culprit on this one. On Friday, the league announced that Kuzma has been fined $15,000 for “directing an obscene gesture toward a fan.” The incident happened during the fourth quarter of the Wizards’ win over the Detroit Pistons earlier this week.
With under 10 minutes to play, Kuzma caught a pass in the corner and buried a 3-pointer that forced a timeout. As he turned to go back down the floor, it looked like he turned and flipped off a fan sitting courtside.
It was hard to tell exactly from the broadcast angle, but sure enough, a video later emerged from right next to the court that shows he did exactly that.
After that win over the Pistons, Kuzma vaguely addressed the situation. “Fans, they just always be talking s— to me every game,” Kuzma said. “I love it.”
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On the one hand, you can understand why Kuzma, after just hitting a big shot, would take a chance to get back at a fan who had been talking trash all night. And honestly, it’s pretty funny how he turns, looks at the fan and quickly flashes the gesture like a little kid trying to get away with something they know is wrong.
All that being said, the league simply cannot have players giving fans the middle finger, so it’s not a surprise that he was hit with a fine.
