“Blatant missed calls right in front of you. They’re calling ticky-tack moving screens, and bulls*** like that, and then you don’t want to call the obvious ones right in front of you? So that was it. Alpie got fouled a few times on that drive, and on the layup, and they don’t want to call it. I told him ‘Get some f****** glasses. Open your eyes.’ Take your sensitivity and emotions out of it and call the game the right way. It’s obvious right in front of you, and John Goble — or whoever it was — sees it, doesn’t call it, and I let him know about it.”
Houston coach Ime Udoka knew he was getting fined after this postgame rant to the media following his ejection from this week’s game against Sacramento. Tari Eason also was ejected from that game and tried to go after a heckling fan in the stands afterward, and Alperen Sungun had stayed in the game but had some choice words for the officials.
Thursday, the NBA announced all of them had been fined. From the league’s official announcement:
Udoka has been fined $50,000 for confronting and directing profane language toward a game official, failing to leave the court in a timely manner after being ejected, and public criticism of the officiating during his postgame press conference.
Eason has been fined $35,000 for throwing a towel and directing inappropriate language in the direction of a fan in the spectator stands after the game had concluded. Sengun has been fined $15,000 for directing inappropriate language toward a game official.
The Rockets had been frustrated all game with the officiating, but this no-call on an Eason drive in the final two minutes as Houston tried to mount a comeback sent Udoka over the top.
A look at how Ime Udoka was ejected, along with Alperin Sengun. This chippy game ends with a frustrated Rockets team falling to the Kings tonight as Mike Brown unloads his bench. pic.twitter.com/uFcmDTnylR
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) December 4, 2024
Less than a minute after Udoka’s ejection, Eason also was ejected for his comments to the referees. As Eason was leaving the court, something a heckling Kings fan said had Eason spinning around, throwing a towel at the man and trying to get into the stands to confront him. Security held Eason back.
All of that was going to lead to fines, the only question was how much? Now we have an answer.
