Memphis Grizzlies guard Dillon Brooks has been fined $35,000 for the "unsportsmanlike act of shoving a camera person" during the team's 138-119 loss to the Miami Heat on March 15, the league announced on Friday.
With just under three minutes remaining in the second quarter of that game, Brooks launched a 3-pointer from the top of the key that bounced up into the air and appeared to be heading out of bounds. Instead, John Konchar managed to snag the offensive rebound, but all he could do was fire it wildly back into play as he lost his balance. Brooks tried to chase down the loose ball near midcourt, but was unable to do so. In frustration, he shoved the camera operator to the ground before walking back onto the floor.
Making the incident even worse is that the camera operator was injured during the fall and remains under evaluation, according to Jason Jackson, the Heat's radio play-by-play broadcaster. Further details on the camera person's status are not clear at this time.
Brooks' fine comes just a few weeks after he was suspended one game without pay for receiving his 16th technical foul of the season. Under league rules, once a player or coach reaches 16 technicals, they are automatically suspended for a game, and for every two technical fouls thereafter the player will be suspended for an additional game. Brooks was the first player to reach that mark this season, though he was later joined, perhaps not surprisingly, by his fierce rival, Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors.
Brooks was already one of the most controversial players in the league due to his brash style on and off the court. This latest incident will only reinforce that status and ensure that he continues to have very few fans outside of the Memphis area.
