NEW YORK — Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown is facing a hefty $50,000 penalty from the NBA after openly questioning the integrity of game referees following his team’s playoff elimination.
NBA Executive Vice President and Head of Basketball Operations James Jones issued the financial punishment Tuesday evening, following comments Brown made during his personal livestream broadcast two days earlier. The All-Star player alleged that game officials “clearly had an agenda” when calling offensive fouls against him for “pushing off” during his drives to the basket.
“There’s some referees that need to be investigated,” Brown stated during Sunday’s livestream, which came one day after Boston fell to the Philadelphia 76ers 109-100 in the decisive seventh game of their opening playoff round.
“Every good basketball player does this. What are y’all talking about? They clearly had an agenda,” Brown continued during his broadcast.
This marks the second time this season Brown has been penalized for questioning officiating. The league previously issued him a $35,000 fine in January following a two-minute tirade about referees after Boston’s defeat to San Antonio.
