There isn’t a set ejection fine for all NBA players. Usually, the fines are handed out from incidence to incidence based on the circumstances. The league has stated that a minimum $1,000 fine will be assessed after an ejection during a game.
After a certain number of fines or ejections, a suspension will follow and the fines will keep on increasing. Players are often fined by how much they earn for each game, when it comes to suspensions, often referred to as a “game cheque”. As well as league sanctions it is also possible for the team to levy a penalty upon the player as well.
Kobe, deep in his muse cage could not be rattled.
We have gotten the privilege of seeing numerous players get booted out of games for a variety of different reasons. What are common reasons for players to be ejected? Does a portion of the blame fall upon the shoulders of the referees if they wrongly eject a player?
What Gets a Player Ejected?
The league has stated that there are two different circumstances that will get a player ejected from a basketball game. The first is if a player accumulates two technical fouls throughout the game. These technical fouls are usually assessed when a player commits an unsportsmanlike act to another player on the court. Lately, we have seen these technical fouls get handed out way too often, but the bottom line is that they have to be two unsportsmanlike fouls before ejection. The other scenario is if a player commits a flagrant one foul. These fouls usually occur when hard contact is made between two players, resulting in an injury or awkward fall. For example, if a player blatantly elbows another player during the game, a flagrant foul would be handed out and the officials would review the play and determine if it was intentional. Anything intentional gets players booted instantly.
Which NBA player Has Been Ejected the Most?
This race isn’t even a competition. We have seen some players in the NBA today get ejected a number of times throughout their careers. However, none of them have been kicked out of a game with the frequency of the now retired Rasheed Wallace. Wallace saw himself get ejected from 29 different games throughout his playing career. He was always known for being a ridiculously fierce competitor out there and wasn’t afraid to show his emotion when something happened on the court. It got to the point where referees would kick him from games if it was even a small interaction mainly due to his history. After all, how could you blame them? Wallace had 317 technical fouls called against him and even had 41 called in just one season. The second closest to this one season number is DeMarcus Cousins, who has 14 back. Cousins, like Wallace, is a fierce competitor but sometimes the emotion becomes a liability for their respective teams. Cousins is still in the league today and could watch his ejection totals keep rising to solidify his spot at number two in this category. He does have competition from the Golden State Warriors defensive leader Draymond Green who recently picked up his 12th career ejection, moving him into third place alongside the retired Reggie Miller, Matt Barnes, and Kenyon Martin.
What Was the Worst Fine Handed Out Over an Ejection?
The biggest ever fine handed out for an NBA ejection came from an incident at Madison Square Garden, New York City on Saturday, December 16, 2006. This instance wasn’t the worst fight of all time, with the Malice at the Palace from 2 years before still very much in the lead in that category. The aftermath of this particular fight led to a whole lot of ejections and fines, ramped up perhaps because it came so soon after Malice at the Palace. The New York Knicks and the Denver Nuggets got into a rough fight during the end of a game, with some players even throwing punches before getting pulled out of the pile. When the dust finally settled, both teams had the opportunity to calm down on the benches. The problem was that nobody was able to calm down. The referees of this game had to eject all ten players on the court. Something that has never been done before or since in an NBA match. When the game was over, the NBA reviewed the footage and dished out $1,234,548 of fines to 7 different players, totalling 47 games missed. Carmelo Anthony took the brunt, being heavily criticized in the media, missing 15 games and paying $640k in fines!
| Player | Team | Games Suspended | Salary Cost |
| Carmelo Anthony | Nuggets | 15 | $640,097 |
| J.R. Smith | Nuggets | 10 | $126,142 |
| Nate Robinson | Knicks | 10 | $107,771 |
| Mardy Collins | Knicks | 6 | $49,084 |
| Jared Jeffries | Knicks | 4 | $189,636 |
| Nenê | Nuggets | 1 | $72,727 |
| Jerome James | Knicks | 1 | $49,091 |
| Totals | 47 | $1,234,548 |
Could NBA Fans Get Fines for Their Own Unsportsmanlike Conduct?
Unfortunately, the NBA has seen a lot of fans cause trouble on the court. From fans sprinting onto the court randomly, guys throwing bottles and other items at other players and even disrespectful trash talk that completely crosses the line. It has all been done in recent memory. Do these fans ever get punished for these actions like NBA players do? The answer is yes. Most fans are fined and banned from any future games for either life or a specific amount of time. In the case of a Golden State Warriors investor, he got fined a hefty amount for shoving Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors a few years ago. It was the NBA Finals and Lowry had fallen into the first row of the stands. Mark Stevens, the investor in question, was sitting a chair over from where Lowry had fallen. Instead of helping him up he was shoving him further away from him. Stevens was then banned from the league for an entire year and was forced to cough up $500,000 for his actions. Bottom line, any unsportsmanlike conduct in the NBA will get you booted from the game. Whether you are a fan or player, these actions do come with consequences. Then after that, these ejections are usually followed by hefty fines that you have to pay out. It’s just safer to avoid doing anything like this and remain seated or on the court.