Rudy Gobert made a spur-of-the-moment decision to criticize Scott Foster's crew during the Timberwolves' 113-104 overtime loss to the Cavaliers on Friday, and his actions proved as costly off the court as they were on it.
The NBA fined Gobert $100,000 for insulting the officials after he fouled out of Friday's game.
Gobert's $100,000 fine is tied with James Harden for the largest in the NBA this season that didn't stem from a suspension, per Spotrac.com. While Harden's issues came off the court when he criticized 76ers general manager Daryl Morey and called him a liar, Gobert's came about because of an on-court gesture and post-game comments.
Here's what to know about Gobert's fine and what he said about his actions on Friday.
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What did Rudy Gobert do?
Gobert was fined for "directing an inappropriate and unprofessional gesture toward a game official and publicly criticizing the officiating" after Minnesota's 113-104 loss to Cleveland on Friday.
Gobert was frustrated by the officiating throughout Friday's game but finally lost his temper after he fouled out of the contest with 27.1 seconds left in regulation. He didn't think he fouled on the play in question and made a money signal with his hands while Foster had his back turned.
Foster didn't see it, but Natalie Sago did. She slapped Gobert with a technical foul, which allowed the Cavaliers — who were trailing 97-96 at the time of Gobert's ejection — to tie things up.
Gobert's actions prompted action from the officials, but his comments after the game signified to the NBA that it needed to send Gobert a message.
Gobert was asked about his ejection and the officiating by reporters and implied that the officials were corrupt and being influenced by sports betting.
"I'll bite the bullet again," Gobert said, per ESPN. "I'll be the bad guy. I'll take the fine, but I think it's hurting our game. I know the betting and all that is becoming bigger and bigger, but it shouldn't feel that way."
Gobert expressed regret that he reacted to the call in such a way, but he didn't back down from his comments on the matter.
"My reaction, which I think was the truth, but it wasn't the time to react that way," Gobert said, per ESPN. "It cost my team the game. It was an immature reaction."
This isn't the first time Gobert has drawn ire for his comments about officials. That's why the NBA opted to find Gobert significantly. He had "past instances of conduct detrimental to the NBA with regard to publicly criticizing the officiating."
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Rudy Gobert's history of fines
Gobert has now been fined four times in his career for criticizing the officials, per Spotrac.com. Two of them came during his time with the Jazz; another two have come over his two-season span with the Timberwolves.
Below is a look at his fines for criticizing officials, the first of which came in 2018.
| Year | Team | Fine |
| 2018 | Jazz | $15,000 |
| 2021 | Jazz | $20,000 |
| 2023 | Timberwolves | $25,000 |
| 2024 | Timberwolves | $100,000 |
As one would imagine, Gobert's $100,000 fine is the largest of his career. He also was fined $25,000 for fighting in Nov. 2023 and served a one-game suspension in April of 2023 for throwing a punch at his teammate Kyle Anderson.
