Hips don’t fly! NBA fines Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler $15,000 for thrusting crotch suggestively on sidelines during game – and hits team with a $15,000 fine for turning moment into GIF
- Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler, 32, was fined $15,000 for suggestively thrusting his hips toward the camera during Game 5 of the Eastern Conference
- The player, who was sitting the game out due to a knee injury, did the ‘obscene gesture’ in celebration of the Heat’s 10-0 streak at the end of the 2nd quarter
- The team, who made the moment into a GIF – a short animated clip – was also slapped with a $15,000 fine for glorifying the behavior
- The team later deleted the gif, but it has since continued to circle social media
- This is Butler third fine this season, following a $30,000 in November and a $25,000 in February
Miami Heat player Jimmy Butler was hit with a $15,000 fine for gyrating his hips from the sidelines of a game – with the NBA fining his team the same amount for turning the moment into a meme.
The NBA cited Butler’s ‘obscene gesture’ as offensive and hit the forward with a hefty fine after Game 5 in the Eastern Conference Wednesday.
Butler was seen on the sidelines next to teammate Max Strus celebrating the Heat’s 10-0 streak by suggestively thrusting his hips back and force.
He did so while curling his lip at the camera, with less than two minutes to go in the second quarter.
The team itself also got slapped with a $15,000 for making the clip into a GIF – a short animate image. The team’s account has since deleted the post, but the footage is still circling social media.
The NBA fined Jimmy Butler $15,000 for making an ‘obscene gesture’ at Game 5 of the Eastern Conference on Thursday. He was seen thrusting his hips in celebration of the Miami Heat’s 10-0 streak toward the end of the second quarter
The team was also fined $15,000 for making the moment into a gif, which was later removed
Butler, who was dressed in all black, did not participate in the game due to a knee injury, but watched from the bench as the team won 97-94 against the Atlanta Hawks at the FTX Arena on Thursday.
This is the player’s third fine this season, bringing his total loss to $70,000, according to NBC Miami.
In November, he was fined $30,000 during a Denver-Miami game for allegedly trying to escalate an altercation. He also got a $25,000 fine in February for violating media interview access rules, according to NBC Miami.
NBA legend LeBron James was also fined $15,000 for an ‘obscene gesture’ in November after he did what has been dubbed the ‘big balls’ dance, where a man hops back and forth on their feet and gesture toward their private area.
The player was sitting on the bench throughout the game due to a knee injury (pictured on April 24)
‘Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James has been fined $15,000 for making an obscene gesture on the playing court and warned for using profane language during media availability in response to league imposed discipline,’ the NBA wrote at the time.
The Miami Heat will play again on Monday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
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