Julius Randle fined $25K for postgame profanity directed at booing fans

New York Knicks forward Julius Randle was fined $25,000 Saturday afternoon for "egregious use of profane language during media interviews," the NBA announced Saturday.

Randle, 27, gave fans at Madison Square Garden a thumbs down when they cheered for his made layup during the fourth quarter of Thursday's game. The Knicks were mounting a ferocious comeback at the time, erasing a 25-point deficit against the Boston Celtics to eventually win 108-105 with a buzzer-beater. 

After the game, Randle was asked by reporters what he meant by his thumbs-down gesture, and said it meant, "Shut the f--- up." A day later he wrote an apology on Instagram.

"I understand that my actions also represent the league, this organization, and the city, and that I should have handled things last night differently and expressed myself with more professionalism and more appropriate language in the heat of the moment," Randle wrote, in part. "My comment was an example of how sometimes you say things you regret to people you love, even if it came from a place of passion and deep love."

Randle began his career with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2014 and later played one season with the New Orleans Pelicans before joining the Knicks in 2019. In the 2020-21 season, he earned All-Star honors and was named the NBA Most Improved Player after averaging 24.1 points and 10.2 rebounds.