The Minnesota Timberwolves suffered a 113-104 overtime defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers during their Friday night matchup.
Rudy Gobert made headlines for his ‘money gesture’ towards the referees after being fouled out of the game during the fourth quarter of the game.
Gobert continued to criticize the officiating in the postgame conference hinting that the influence of betting is destroying the game of basketball.
The NBA expectingly fined $100,000 Gobert for the gesture and comments directed at the refs.
While some thought that Gobert’s fine was justified, many believe that the league should have suspended the Timberwolves center.
Former NBA star turned analyst Charles Barkley supported the latter as he urged the league to suspend Gobert, via NBA on TNT.
“The one thing we can never do in sports is make people think it’s fixed,” Barkley said.
“I thought he should have been suspended. … The one thing we can never do in sports is make people think it’s fixed.”
Chuck and the fellas discuss Rudy Gobert being fined $100K for directing a 'money sign' gesture toward a game official pic.twitter.com/GsP50GcP8n
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) March 15, 2024
Barkley believes Gobert crossed the line with his gestures, making fans feel that the game was fixed.
It wasn’t the first time that Gobert publicly criticized officials during games.
As much as Barkley advocated for suspending Gobert, the NBA has stuck with the decision of fining the 3x NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
Gobert is among several stars who have been fined for their open criticism of the referees.
But as Barkley pointed out, having top players openly express their disappointment with referees is not a good look for the NBA.
Gobert has played 63 games for the Timberwolves this season, averaging 13.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game for the team.
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