Jimmy Butler and Miami Heat each fined $15,000 for obscene gesture
Miami Heat guard Kyle Lowry, left, and forward Jimmy Butler look on from the bench during the second half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks, Tuesday, April 26, 2022, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) Credit: AP/Wilfredo Lee
MIAMI — The NBA fined Miami's Jimmy Butler $15,000 for making what it described as an obscene gesture during the team's series-clinching win on Tuesday against the Atlanta Hawks.
The Heat were also fined $15,000 for turning a video of the gesture into a social media post. The league announced both fines Thursday.
Butler did not play in Tuesday's 97-94 victory, watching the game from the bench because of knee soreness. He made the gesture a few seconds after Max Strus connected on a second consecutive 3-pointer, part of a 10-0 run by Strus and a 17-0 run by the Heat that put them ahead in the game for good.
The social media post has since been deleted from the team account.
It is Butler's third known fine this season, totaling $70,000. He was fined $30,000 for his involvement in an incident during a Denver-Miami game in November and $25,000 for violating league rules governing media interview access at the All-Star Game in February.
Miami next plays Monday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
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