The Toronto Raptors 108-100 loss versus the Los Angeles Clippers, on Wednesday (8), caused another loss for a Raptors player. Guard Fred VanVleet was fined yesterday (9) by the NBA for public criticism of the officiating crew after the game. The fine will cost the player $30,000.
All the anger of the player was caused specifically by referee Ben Taylor. During the postgame press conference, VanVleet couldn’t suppress his frustration and complained a lot about some of the decisions made by the refs. His main complaints were about the disparity in the fouls and free throws called for both teams and also for being called for a technical foul.
“I don’t mind it, I’ll take the fine, I don’t really care. I thought Ben Taylor was f*****g terrible tonight. He f****d up the game. It’s been like this a couple games in a row. We come here, compete pretty hard, and then in the third quarter I got a b***s*** tech and changed the whole dynamic of the game”, said VanVleet.
Among other things, he ended up also complaining a lot about NBA officials in general. “Most of the refs are trying hard, I like a lot of refs. And then you got other ones who just want to be d***s”, unburdened himself.
Fred VanVleet
The guard entered the NBA as an undrafted free agent in 2016 when he signed with the Toronto Raptors. Since his debut in the league, he played 403 games in seven seasons, all in the Raptors’ uniform. He averages 14.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game throughout his career.
He was crowned NBA Champion in 2019, when the Raptors won their first and only title, beating the Golden State Warriors 4-2 in the final series. His only personal recognition came in 2022 when he was selected for the NBA All-Star Game.
