Rockets' VanVleet fined $50K for confrontation with refs
Warning: Story contains coarse language
Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet received a $50,000 fine for "confronting and directing profane language" toward officials in the late stages of Saturday's 104-98 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, the NBA announced Monday.
VanVleet took issue with a non-call on his game-tying shot attempt with approximately 10 seconds remaining.
The NBA's last-two-minute report deemed a foul should've been called on Blazers forward Toumani Camara as he moved into VanVleet's path and made body contact with the Rockets floor general.
It's not the first time VanVleet has been penalized by the league for disagreeing with a referee.
The Wichita State product was assessed a $30,000 fine in March 2023 when he called referee Ben Taylor "fucking terrible" during his postgame press conference and added that the veteran official had a personal issue with him.
VanVleet is averaging 14.5 points, 6.1 assists, 4.3 boards, and 1.8 steals across 17 appearances this season.