San Antonio Spurs big man Zach Collins has been fined $35,000 for flipping off officials after his ejection for a second technical foul during Friday's 140-113 loss to the Sacramento Kings. The exacting wording from the league office was that Collins made "an obscene gesture on the playing court following his ejection."
In the second quarter, Collins was called for a foul with which he took immediate issue. Kings center Domantas Sabonis pinned Collins deep in the paint and, to be fair, it looked like Sabonis was initiating a lot of the contact.
But the problem came after Collins was removed from the game, when he said a few magic words to the official as he made his way to the bench. That got him one tech, which led to Collins turning around to say a bit more. Which led to the second tech and the ejection. Which, in turn, brought out the bird. We can't say for certain which referee Collins was directing his frustration toward, but 31-year vet Michael Smith was the one who ejected him.
Recently, Houston Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet was fined $50K for a "profane" outburst and for pointing his finger in the face of an official after he was ejected.
A week ago, the Nuggets' Russell Westbrook was fined $35K for "making an obscene gesture" toward the opposing team's bench. Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards also got dinged for $35K for flipping off fans during an NBA Cup game.
The league clearly viewed Collins' infraction as equal to those of Westbrook and Edwards.