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By virtue of being an organization, the NBA has its set of rules and regulations that teams are expected to follow. Failure to do so results in penalties ,which may be levied on players, coaches, owners or even teams.
The role of the NBA commissioner is to make sure these penalties or fines are dealt out to ensure that teams stay in line with the rules of the league. With 7676 players penalized till date, the league has amassed a total of over $27 million just out of fines.
Most fines against players are as a result of criticism of referees or unsportsmanlike conduct after foul calls. But there have been instances when fines can have heavier connotations.
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As the NBA continues to expand in popularity and players make more money off its success, fines on entities for not being in line with NBA regulations have gotten significantly heftier. On that note, here's a look at the five most expensive fines in NBA history.
#5 Ben Simmons - $381,181
After one of the most disappointing performances of his career, Ben Simmons became the laughing stock of the NBA. Facing harsh criticism for his disappearing act in the playoff game against the Atlanta Hawks, Simmons voiced his discontent with the Philadelphia 76ers organization and requested a trade.
Going as far as refusing to join the team's training camp and cutting off contact with anyone associated with the team, Simmons put down the gauntlet. However, that expectedly led to some severe consequences.
For missing his training camp days as well as preseason games while still under contract with the 76ers, Simmons was fined $381,181 on consecutive occasions. Listed as an off court violation, Simmons was also fined $360,305 for the same earlier in the month of October.
Over the course of ten days (from 4th to 14th October), Ben Simmons was fined $1,482,972. He has officially returned to play for the 76ers, and will shortly join the team after clearing re-conditioning.
#4 Kyrie Irving - $408,445
Kyrie Irving has been gaining notoriety for choosing to do things like taking a stand against the organization for his own beliefs and causes. Gw has emerged as an extremely polarizing character in the sporting world.
Although his current stance on vaccination mandates is snowballing, Irving is no stranger to hefty fines from the NBA. During the 2020-21 season, Kyrie Irving's presence on the court for the Brooklyn Nets was sporadic, to say the least. Opting to leave the team for days on end for personal reasons, Irving's availability for head coach Steve Nash was always a concern.
Earlier this year, almost midway through the 2020-21 season, Irving was fined $408,445 four times, from the 12th of January to the 18th. Irving had been absent from the Nets since 7th January, and around that time a video surfaced of him at a family gathering on social media.
While he did eventually return to the side, he had to cough up fines worth $1,633,780 for his absence from the team.
#3 Vladimir Radmanovic - $500,000
During the 2006-07 NBA season, LA Lakers player Vladimir Radmanovic was fined by the franchise to the tune of $500,000 for snowboarding.
It seemed to be an act of going overboard by the Lakers organization, but the NBA has strict rules against extreme sports such as snowboarding and others of the sort. These rules have been put in place to ensure the safety and health of the players.
In Radmanovic's case, the Lakers player suffered an injury to the shoulder while snowboarding in the city of Utah. As a key player in the LA roster, Radmanovic missed 25 games for the team due to the injury. With a hefty fine that cost him almost 10% of his contract with the LA Lakers, Radmanovic voiced his relief that they only fined him and didn't void his contract instead.
#2 Mark Cuban - $600,000
Mark Cuban is the owner of the Dallas Mavericks. Known for his passionate involvement in the team, the Mavericks owner has been at the receiving end of several fines from the NBA. With over 20 such fines amounting to $3.1 million, Cuban is no stranger to penalties from the NBA.
However, his biggest penalty came during the 2017-18 NBA season. The league levied a heavy charge of $600,000 on the Dallas Mavericks owner for his comments about the tanking culture in the NBA.
After a poor season, Cuban spoke to NBA legend Julius Erving and mentioned that the Mavericks' best option for the rest of the season was to tank to have some stability heading into the draft.
Mark Cuban later clarified that he said the wrong things and attributed that to being starstruck by a childhood idol, the NBA penalized the Mavericks owner. However, Cuban also has a habit of matching his fines by donating the same amount of money to charities of his choice.
#1 Minnesota Timberwolves - $3.5 million
What is potentially the most expensive fine in the history of the NBA happened during the 2000 NBA offseason. The league came down hard on the Minnesota Timberwolves, as they attempted to illegally acquire a player named Joe Smith.
As the story unfolded, Smith signed with the Timberwolves for $1.75 million for a one-year deal in 1999. While this was a highly undervalued contract, it didn't raise much suspicion. However, the Timberwolves planned to sign Smith to consecutive three one-year deals so that they could acquire his bird rights and go over the salary cap when they gave him his extension.
After the documents regarding these illegal activities were revealed during a lawsuit follwing a split between the agents representing Smith and Kevin Garnett, the NBA fined the Timberwolves $3.5 million and five first-round picks.
The NBA also voided Joe Smith's contract, thus denying the Timberwolves his bird rights. Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor was also suspended along with VP Kevin McHale, who took a leave of absence after the incident, denying any knowledge of the proceedings.
