San Antonio Spurs forward Zach Collins faced a fine after making an obscene gesture following his ejection during a game. Collins was thrown out of Friday’s 140-113 loss to the Sacramento Kings after receiving his second technical foul. However, what followed his ejection caught the attention of NBA officials. Instead of leaving the court promptly, Collins directed an obscene gesture at referee Michael Smith, who has over 30 years of experience in the NBA. As a result, the league imposed a $35,000 fine on Collins for his inappropriate behavior.
Zach Collins, starting in place of the injured Victor Wembanyama, played just nine minutes and scored two points before being ejected in the second quarter of the game against the Sacramento Kings. The ejection came with 9:07 remaining in the first half after Collins voiced his frustration over a foul call on Kings All-Star Domantas Sabonis, which was his third foul of the game. After being removed from the game, Collins continued to argue with the officials as he walked to the bench, earning two quick technical fouls and an automatic ejection.
After the Spurs’ loss on Friday, Mitch Johnson, the interim head coach filling in for Gregg Popovich, stated that he didn’t witness or hear the incident involving Collins. “I didn’t know what was said,” Johnson remarked. “There was a lot happening, so we just moved forward and focused on holding things together.”
Zach Collins, a seven-year NBA veteran, is averaging six points and 3.3 rebounds across 23 games this season.