Magic’s Desmond Bane fined $35K by NBA

Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane has been fined $35K for throwing the game ball at Knicks forward OG Anunoby with force and in an “unsportsmanlike manner,” the NBA announced on Monday (via X).

Bane was assessed a technical foul for the incident, which occurred with 6:13 remaining in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s contest in New York (YouTube link). Orlando lost the game by six points.

After an errant pass from Jalen Suggs was stolen by Mikal Bridges, Anunoby and Anthony Black raced down the court in a fastbreak opportunity for New York. Black tried to intercept Bridges’ pass to Anunoby, but still caught up to the play, stripping the ball from Anunoby, who fell out of bounds.

Bane, who was trailing the action, collected the ball easily while in-bounds and instead of turning around to go to the offensive end, decided to wind up and throw the ball off Anunoby. If the play was ruled a hostile act by Bane, resulting in the technical, though the Magic retained possession since Anunoby was out of bounds.

It was an odd incident, and not the first time Bane has thrown the ball off an opponent this season. The 27-year-old was ejected from a November 4 game at Atlanta after receiving a flagrant 1 foul and a technical for pulling down Onyeka Okongwu on a fastbreak and spiking the ball off him when Okongwu lost possession (YouTube link).

Bane is earning $36.7M this season as part of a lucrative long-term contract, so the fine won’t impact him much financially.