You are here
Home > Basketball > Lakers’ Rajon Rondo fined $35K for ‘unsportsmanlike’ contact with Thunder player, verbally abusing official

Lakers’ Rajon Rondo fined $35K for ‘unsportsmanlike’ contact with Thunder player, verbally abusing official

Los Angeles Lakers point guard Rajon Rondo is no stranger to fines or ejections — just last season he was ejected and consequently suspended three games for an altercation with then-Rockets guard Chris Paul during a nationally televised game. On Friday, Rondo had another incident during the Lakers’ 130-127 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder which resulted in an ejection, and now the NBA has fined him $35,000 for both the foul and his actions afterward. From the NBA:

Los Angeles Lakers guard Rajon Rondo has been fined $35,000 for making unsportsmanlike physical contact with Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dennis Schroder, verbal abuse of a game official, and failing to leave the court in a timely manner upon his ejection, it was announced today by Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

The incident involving Rondo and Schroder, for which Rondo was assessed a Flagrant Foul 2 and ejected, occurred with 10:20 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Lakers’ 130-127 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Nov. 22 at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

In the video of the flagrant foul, Rondo’s leg appears to make contact with Schroder’s groin.

Afterward, Rondo appeared to have some very choice words for the officials on his way out of the arena, which resulted in the hefty fine. The Lakers guard responded to the situation on Saturday, saying he felt “disrespected” by referee Ed Malloy. Rondo added that his history of disciplinary action may have contributed to the severity of his punishment this time around: “When you’re a four or five-time felon, the judgment’s kind of harsher.”

Rondo got a late start to the season due to a right calf injury, but in five games he’s averaged 7.2 points, 5.6 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 20.4 minutes. He’ll be an important member of the guard rotation moving forward for the Lakers, who have raced out to an NBA-best 13-2 start.

FacebookTwitterEmailWhatsAppBloggerShare
Tutorialspoint
el-admin
el-admin
EltasZone Sportswriters, Sports Analysts, Opinion columnists, editorials and op-eds. Analysis from The Zone Team
Top