Why Desmond Bane Was Fined $35,000 After Throwing the Ball at OG Anunoby During Magic vs. Knicks Loss

That’s when everything turned upside down. Bane immediately grabbed the basketball and rifled it at Anunoby out of bounds, despite having completely set his feet to recover on the break. After the sequence, the Magic guard received a technical foul, but stayed in the game.

Desmond’s Reaction and The Aftermath With Anunoby

Despite the chaos, cooler heads seemed to prevail. Immediately after the sequence, Anunoby was shaken up, but were seen talking about it with some teammates. After the game, Bane and Anunoby met at half court and shared a laugh and a handshake, which showed that the two didn’t have any lingering hostility. Unfortunately for Bane, however, the league was not as relaxed.

Why Was Desmond Bane Fined By the NBA?

Today, the NBA released a statement from from executive vice president and head of basketball operations James Jones that Bane is being fined $35,000 for his action, which was described as “throwing the ball with force at an opponent in an unsportsmanlike manner.”

Bane is set to receive about $38 million this season, so the fine itself isn’t going to put a big dent in his earnings. However, the more important sentiment is that this is a message and warning from the league to stop the unnecessary actions.

As avid watchers may realize, bouncing the ball off an out-of-bounds opponent is not an uncommon tactic. Many star level players, like LeBron James and Donovan Mitchell, have used this tactic before to secure possession for their teams, but the problem with Bane’s actions is that he threw it “with force.” The sequence could’ve led to an injury for Anunoby, which is what tonight’s fine is for.

If this conduct continued from Bane, it might lead to more fines, and perhaps even a suspension, especially considering that this isn’t the first time the guard has chucked a ball at an opponent this season. Against the Atlanta Hawks , Bane fouled big man Onyeka Okongwu hard, then spiking the ball off him after he went down.

So, the fine might have to do with a pattern of behavior from Bane, especially given that throwing the ball at an opponent is rather petty.