Rudy Gobert fined $75,000 for gesture in Game 4

Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert has been fined $75,000 by the NBA, the league announced. According to the announcement, the fine is in response to Gobert making an “inappropriate and unprofessional gesture that questions the integrity of the league and its game officials.”

After being whistled for a loose ball foul in Sunday’s Game 4 loss to Denver, Gobert was captured by TNT cameras making a “money” gesture by rubbing his fingers together as he walked back up the court.

Gobert was hit with a $100,000 fine just over two months ago for making that same gesture sign after being called for a foul. In that instance, he didn’t back down during his postgame media session from the insinuation that gambling money was affecting certain referee calls, telling reporters, “Mistakes happen. Referees make mistakes, too. But sometimes I think it’s more than mistakes.”

The NBA’s press release today says that Gobert’s history of “improper conduct” toward game officials was taken into account. This fine was presumably smaller than the one in March because the brief gesture wasn’t quite as blatant and wasn’t accompanied by postgame commentary.

For what it’s worth, $100,000 is the maximum amount that the NBA can fine a player in cases like this one.