Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart was fined $35,000 for making an obscene gesture toward a game official at halftime of a 143-135 win over the Utah Jazz on Thursday, the league announced Saturday.
Marcus Smart Flipped Off Ref At Halftime
With the Lakers trailing 78-73 as the second quarter ended, Smart exchanged words with one of the referees as he made his way off the court and then proceeded to give him the middle finger.
Smart was previously fined $25,000 for flipping off a fan during the 2017 NBA playoffs.
He was also fined $35,000 in January 2023 for directing inappropriate language toward a game official in a 150-117 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder as a member of the Boston Celtics.
“I’ve been shooting the ball well to start the year… shout out to Luka and those guys, LeBron finding me and being ready to knock down the shot.”
Marcus Smart (17 PTS (5-9 3PT), 4 REB, AST, STL) talks with the media after the #Lakers 143-135 road-win over the Jazz. #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/RpAx884pGV
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) December 19, 2025
After flipping the bird in Thursday’s game, Smart was assessed his third technical foul of the season, and the Jazz started the second half with the technical free throw before play began.
Smart went on to score nine of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, going 3-for-4 (75%) on 3-pointers. He finished his outing 6-of-11 (54.5%) shooting from the field and 5-for-9 (55.6%) from beyond the arc.
Smart Wants Better Officiating For Lakers
During his postgame interview, Smart addressed his frustrations to reporters.
“A lot of things,” Smart said, when asked what he was angry about. “… As a defender, you’re already at a disadvantage. When the offensive guy can put his hands on you and make all the contact, and you only have a small margin of error — your hands got to be this certain way, if it’s just a little bit off, it’s a foul.
“But this guy can run full speed into me, duck his shoulder, push me off and it’s nothing. That was typical. And then, you know, I’m walking down with my hands up to post up. Not running. Not going forcefully. Just walking. And a guy just falls. Hey, they called it. So it was frustrating. I think everybody was frustrated.”
Through 18 games (12 starts), Smart is averaging 10.6 points, 2.9 assists, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per contest while shooting 40.3% from the floor and 30% from deep.
Per Spotrac, Smart signed a two-year, $10.5 million contract with the Lakers over the summer after reaching a buyout with the Washington Wizards.
After suffering a 103-88 road loss at the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday, the Lakers are scheduled to visit the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday before starting a five-game homestand on Christmas Day.
