On Thursday, it was announced by the NBA that the Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler were both fined $15,000 by the league.
Per NBA: "Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler has been fined $15,000 for making an obscene gesture, it was announced today by Byron Spruell, President, League Operations. The Heat organization has also been fined $15,000 for posting the act on social media."
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) April 28, 2022
The reasons for the fines are somewhat amusing. During the Heat’s series-clinching win over the Atlanta Hawks, Butler was seen on the sideline making what the NBA deemed an “obscene gesture.”
The Heat then posted footage of Butler’s action on social media.
Footage of Butler’s gesture made the rounds on social media shortly after he was caught on camera.
Lmao somebody come get Jimmy Butler 🤣💀pic.twitter.com/Oyv90Azdcn
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 27, 2022
Truthfully, the fines are a little more than a slap on the wrist for both the player and organization.
Butler and the Heat have a lot to be happy about right now. They easily dispatched the Hawks in the first round of the playoffs and will now move on to the next round. They will face either the Philadelphia 76ers or Toronto Raptors in the next round, and the Heat figure to be favored against either team.
As for Butler, he played incredibly well in the first round despite the fact that he missed the pivotal Game 5 due to injury.
So far in the 2022 NBA Playoffs, Butler is averaging 30.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.8 steals per game.
