NBA: Rockets owner fined $100,000 for mid-game outburst

OAKLAND, CA - MAY 21: Houston Rockets owner Leslie Alexander looks on during game two of the Western Conference Finals of the 2015 NBA PLayoffs between the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors at ORACLE Arena on May 21, 2015 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement.   Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/AFP
FILE PHOTO: OAKLAND, CA – MAY 21: Houston Rockets owner Leslie Alexander looks on during game two of the Western Conference Finals of the 2015 NBA PLayoffs between the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors at ORACLE Arena on May 21, 2015 in Oakland, California. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/AFP

HOUSTON, United States (AFP) — Houston Rockets owner Leslie Alexander was slapped with a $100,000 fine on Wednesday for leaving his courtside seat mid-game and confronting an NBA official.

Alexander got up late in the first quarter of the game Tuesday, walked a short distance on the court and said something to referee Billy Kennedy, who was busy watching the play.

“Houston Rockets owner Leslie Alexander has been fined $100,000 for confronting a referee during live game action,” NBA spokesman Byron Spruell said in a news release.

The incident happened with 13 seconds left in the first quarter of the Rockets’ 105-99 series clinching win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Former Houston Rockets player Hakeem Olajuwon, who was sitting nearby, attempted to grab the owner’s arm as he walked past but Alexander just pulled it away and glanced back at him.

Alexander spoke briefly to Kennedy then turned and made his way back to his chair.

© Agence France-Presse