Kevin Durant Fined for Criticizing Referees Following Ejection

OAKLAND, CA - JANUARY 23: Kevin Durant
OAKLAND, CA - JANUARY 23: Kevin Durant /
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Kevin Durant was tossed from the Warriors win over the Knicks this week. He had some choice words for the referees following the game, which earned him a $15K fine.

Kevin Durant was visibly frustrated with the referees throughout Tuesday’s home win against the Knicks.

First, he slammed the ball down after getting called for a foul on what he thought was a clean block. He was immediately given a technical foul for that reaction.

Then, he disagreed with the referee when he was called for a carry, and he let the officials hear his frustration.

Draymond Green tried to calm down Durant and keep him from talking to the refs, but he couldn’t stop Durant from getting ejected late in the fourth quarter.

In the postgame press conference, Durant told the media that he thought he was being unfairly targeted by the referees. After taking a day to cool down, Durant apologized for his comments and admitted that he was acting like an “a–h—“.

"“I looked at the plays, a couple techs, and I was being an a–h— last night. I was being a jerk,” said Durant. “That one foul at the end wasn’t a foul. I shouldn’t have slammed the ball down like I did. I can go back and say that I was being a jerk last night, and I deserve whatever the league is going to throw at me.”"

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The National Basketball Referees Association tweeted that they accepted Durant’s apology, but that didn’t prevent the league from fining him $15K.

The rift between the NBA’s officials and their players has been a prevailing storyline all season long. The Warriors have been at the center of that rift as they rank near the top of the league in technical fouls as a team, and Draymond Green and Durant are both in the top three in technical fouls.

This apology from Durant could change his demeanor towards the referees going forward. At the end of the day it’s pretty simple, the Warriors need him to stop getting technicals and getting thrown out of games. Hopefully this latest incident will be a wakeup call for Durant.

Next: Could the Warriors Benefit by Making a Move at the Trade Deadline?