Russell Westbrook is a little lighter in the pocket these days as the NBA announced he has been fined $35K for making an "obscene gesture on the playing court" during the Denver Nuggets' 145-118 loss to the New York Knicks on Monday, the
This is PR speak for Westbrook flipping off New York's bench after he hit a corner 3-pointer in the fourth quarter.
Westbrook appears to have been reacting to the "travel!" cries coming from New York's bench after it did, at first glance, look like he left his feet and came back down with the ball still in his hands. But if you look closer at the play, it does look like Josh Hart dislodged the ball, if only slightly, from Westbrook's hands, which would allow him to legally reestablish control, with a live dribble, upon his descent.
Nonetheless, the league isn't going to stand for a player flipping the bird toward anyone during a game. In the real world, having to write a $35K check for flipping someone off would be certifiably insane, but NBA money is borderline fake. Westbrook has made close to $350 million in salary alone, to say nothing of his many endorsements, over the course of his career. He'll get by.