Sports / Basketball |
NBA fines Bogut $25,000 for obscene gesture(AP)Updated: 2007-03-15 08:34 The NBA fined Milwaukee Bucks center Andrew Bogut $25,000 on Wednesday for directing an obscene gesture toward fans. Bogut's outburst came near the end of Milwaukee's 108-93 loss at home to Toronto on Monday night. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft was ejected after committing a flagrant foul against Toronto's Chris Bosh with 49 seconds remaining, then he directed an obscene hand gesture toward fans as he left the court. Bogut apologized to fans Tuesday. "Our fans have been very supportive of me since I came to Milwaukee and they certainly didn't deserve my reaction coming off the court," Bogut said. "I got caught up in the heat of the moment and let my emotions get the best of me." Bogut also apologized to his teammates, coaches, organization and the league. "My reaction reflected poorly on all of them, which would never be my intent," he said. Bucks general manager Larry Harris said the incident was "out of character" for Bogut. "Our organization does not condone such actions by our players and we apologize for it," Harris said. In January, the league fined Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith $25,000 for making an obscene gesture to the crowd after being ejected from a game against the Charlotte Bobcats. Smith raised both middle fingers as he was about halfway through the tunnel, apparently reacting to two technical fouls and being heckled by fans. |
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