NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — The NBA fined Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant $25,000 on Sunday for his foul-mouthed response to a heckling fan.
Byron Spruell, president of league operations, announced the fine “for directing obscene language toward a fan.”
The incident came late in the first half of the Nets’ 113-105 victory over the Hawks in Atlanta on Friday.
The courtside fan invited Durant, who is averaging 28.5 points per game for the Nets, to “stop crying” and Durant colorfully urged him to shut up as he jogged past in an exchange captured on video and posted on social media.
In the same game Durant — a two-time NBA champion and a former Most Valuable Player — was involved in a quick scuffle with Atlanta’s Trae Young.
The two hugged it out after the contest, in which Durant’s 31 points helped propel the Eastern Conference-leading Nets to their 18th win of the season.
© Agence France-Presse