Patrick Beverley has been hit with a $30,000 fine for “inappropriate statements” and “egregious use of profanity” after the Minnesota Timberwolves guard aimed salty shots at the Clippers.
The comments from Beverley came after Tuesday’s 109-104 win for the T-Wolves in the seven-eight play-in game in the West.
Anthony Edwards played a starring role with 30 points for Minnesota and was interviewed alongside Beverley after the game.
Beverley was excitable after beating his former team. He spent four years on the Clippers before joining Minnesota last August.
“I wanted this so bad,” Beverley said. “I wanted this one so bad.”
He said his message to the Clippers was: “Take their a** home. Long flight to LA, take y’all a** home.
“It’s deeper than that for me. I gave my blood and sweat and tears to that organisation. You guys know the story. Blood, sweat and tears, to just be written off like that, ‘oh, he’s injury prone, he’s old’, this, this, that, that.
“To be able to come here, play them in a play-in, beat their a**, there’s no other feeling, man, no other feeling.”
Beverley also used social media to express similar emotion, with added profanities. NBA chiefs considered he overstepped the line of acceptability.
A league statement on Thursday read: “Minnesota Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverley has been fined $30,000 for inappropriate statements during a media interview and on social media, including the egregious use of profanity, it was announced today by Byron Spruell, president, league operations.”
It was a second fine inside a week for Beverley, who had a $25,000 punishment imposed for improper conduct to a game official after being ejected from the Timberwolves’ April 10 loss to the Chicago Bulls.