One of the biggest issues with the Los Angeles Lakers’ point guard Luka Doncic has nothing to do with his offensive or defensive skillset. Rather, it’s what he does after those plays. If you’ve watched the Slovenian in action, even just a little bit, you might’ve seen him complain or cry about a call not going his way. This has attracted massive criticism against the 27-year-old, who is otherwise amidst a great campaign.

However, this isn’t a habit that Doncic has developed overnight. On the contrary, it is something that he’s carried with himself since his Dallas Mavericks days, and also a huge reason why he’s unable to get back on defense several times, because while the game moves forward, he’s stuck arguing with the officials. While this, on its own, is a huge concern for the Lakers, who are struggling defensively, the latest incident has now taken things further up a notch.

Did Luka Doncic make an inappropriate gesture at the referee?

Well, it all went down during the Los Angeles Lakers’ clash against the Knicks on Sunday night. During the third quarter of the game at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Doncic lost his rhythm and turned the ball over. This triggered a 3-on-1 fast break by New York, with the Slovenian being the only defender at the basket. After that, he had no choice but to try to stop the attack.

He attempted to step in and take charge, but Knicks’ Mohamed Diawara dumped off a pass to his teammate, Josh Hart, for an easy layup. But the referees did not blow the whistle despite Doncic going down after making contact with Diawara and falling to the floor. In response to this, the 26-year-old, while sitting on the floor, appeared to make the money sign at the referee.

So, after the game, it was only a matter of time before the league took action against Luka Doncic for his inappropriate gesture towards the referee on Sunday night. Sure enough, they did just that today, as the league announced a hefty fine on the Lakers star.

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The NBA announces a $50,000 punishment for Luka Doncic’s inappropriate gesture

The penalty has been confirmed by James Jones, the NBA’s Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations.

“Los Angeles Lakers forward-guard Luka Dončić has been fined $50,000 for directing an inappropriate and unprofessional gesture toward a game official,” they announced. “The incident occurred with 4:35 remaining in the third quarter of the Lakers’ 110-97 victory over the New York Knicks on March 8 at Crypto.com Arena.”

This is the latest chapter of a long-standing saga with NBA officials. Through the 52 games the five-time All-NBA guard has played this season, he’s already racked up 15 technical fouls. This is the second most in the NBA. He’s only behind the Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks, who has 16 in just 50 games.

Also, it’s worth noting that under the league rules, a player who reaches 16 technical fouls during the regular season automatically receives a one-game suspension. So, Doncic is just one mistake away from missing a game due to suspension as things stand right now.