Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell has been fined $25K for “verbally abusing a game official,” the league announced today in a press release (Twitter link).
According to the NBA’s announcement, the incident occurred on the court immediately after the Lakers lost Game 5 to the Nuggets in Denver on Monday.
It’s a bit of added insult to injury for Russell, whose season came to an end as a result of that Monday loss. Another veteran guard, Patrick Beverley, is expected to end up in a similar boat for his actions during the final moments of the game that ended the Bucks’ season — Beverley, who repeatedly threw a basketball at Pacers fans behind the Bucks’ bench in Indiana, will almost certainly face a more significant penalty than Russell.
The $25K fine is a drop in the bucket for Russell, who was earning a $17.3MM salary this season and holds a $18.7MM player option for 2024/25. There’s an expectation that he may turn down that player option in search of a more lucrative multiyear deal.