After flashing a gesture that implied a ref working the Minnesota-Cleveland game was corrupt prior to a press conference where he decried the influence of sports betting on basketball, Rudy Gobert has received a heavy fine from the NBA. 

After the Minnesota Timberwolves lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Rudy Gobert knew he would have to pay for his gesture and his comments on refereeing, saying “I’ll take the fine.” The NBA wasted no time confirming the inevitable, as the big man learned he’d have to fork over $100,000 on Sunday. 

Gobert set himself up for the punishment after receiving his sixth foul of the game, which meant he was no longer eligible to play. He made it pretty clear he thought ref Tony Brothers was corrupt by rubbing his fingers together while gesturing at the official and backed up that move with some stern words after the contest, saying, “I’m going to be the bad guy. I’ll take the fine, but I think [sports betting] hurts our sport. I know it’s becoming more and more important, it shouldn’t be like that.”

In the press release announcing the sanction, the NBA explained the heavy fine by noting this isn’t the first time the Frenchman has criticized refereeing so harshly. In March 2023, he was fined $25,000 after a loss to Phoenix, asserting the referees had gone out of their way to try to help the Suns win.