NBA fines Nuggets' Westbrook $35,000 for 'obscene gesture'
DENVER, CO - NOVEMBER 8: Russell Westbrook #4 of the Denver Nuggets looks on during the game against the Miami Heat on November 8, 2024 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.
Bart Young / NBAE / Getty Images / Getty Images via AFP
The NBA fined Denver guard Russell Westbrook $35,000 on Friday for making an obscene gesture during the fourth quarter of the Nuggets' 145-118 loss to the New York Knicks on Monday.
NBA executive vice president Joe Dumars announced the fine without elaborating on the incident, in which Westbrook appeared to flash his middle finger toward the Knicks bench after drilling a three-pointer from the corner.
Moments before Westbrook had seen a shot blocked by New York's Josh Hart, with several Knicks players indicating they thought Westbrook should have been called for travelling.
Westbrook scored 27 points off the bench — 24 of them in the fourth quarter — to lead the Nuggets in the defeat.
The veteran point guard is averaging 12.2 points and 5.9 assists per game for the Nuggets this season and on November 19 became the first player in NBA history to amass 200 career triple-doubles with a 12-point, 10-rebound, 14-assist performance in a victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.