Gobert fined $75,000 for ‘money’ gesture directed at officials during NBA playoff loss

Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert was fined $75,000 by the NBA on Tuesday for another “inappropriate and unprofessional gesture” that indicated a lack of integrity toward the league and its game officials.

Gobert looked down and rubbed his fingers together after a foul call during Minnesota’s playoff loss to Denver on Sunday. Gobert had just whistled for an offensive foul when the TNT broadcast showed that he made the signal for counting the money for himself.

Joe Dumars, the NBA’s executive vice president of basketball operations, said the fine “took into account Gobert’s history of inappropriate behavior toward game officials.”

On Tuesday he said he was not surprised by the fine, but denied there was any meaning behind his gesture.

“There was no message,” Gobert said. “Just emotions. I had to keep my emotions in check. It was a very physical game, an emotional game. So I had to control my emotions.”

Two months ago, during a regular-season game in Cleveland, Gobert was called for a technical foul after picking up his sixth foul for making the money counting gesture. One of the officials saw the taunt and Gobert was later fined $100,000.

After that game, Gobert said he was concerned about the rise of gambling and believes gambling has a detrimental effect on outcomes, implicitly accusing officials of playing along.

“I’ll be the bad guy,” Gobert said then. “I will accept the fine, but I think it will harm our game. I know the betting and everything is getting bigger and bigger.”

The officiating team on Sunday didn’t seem to notice his less outspoken version, but the league did.

Gobert was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the fourth time in his career last week, but he struggled at times against the Nuggets on Sunday. The Timberwolves-Nuggets series is tied 2-2 heading into Tuesday night’s Game 5.