Celtics' Jaylen Brown fined $25,000 for "inappropriate" throat-slash gesture after dunk vs. Pistons
BOSTON -- Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown has been fined $25,000 by the NBA for his "inappropriate gesture" toward Isaiah Stewart of the Pistons on Wednesday night. Brown made a throat slash gesture after his dunk on the Detroit big man, a celebration that is leaving the Celtics star a little lighter in the wallet.
Brown has been throwing down some vicious dunks all season, and has usually gone with a "seatbelt" celebration after taking fans -- and opposing players -- for a ride. But after some physical minutes against Stewart on Wednesday, he followed up his first-quarter dunk with a throat slash, which is a big no-no in any sport.
JAYLEN CAUGHT A BODY.
— Pull up shoot (@NElGHT_) December 5, 2024
That celebration is TOUGH too pic.twitter.com/JDKVOgdo07
Jaylen Brown was expecting a fine from the NBA
Brown knew that he did something that he shouldn't have Wednesday night, and was expecting this hefty fine from the NBA. Following Boston's 130-120 win at TD Garden, he was asked by Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe if he expected to hear from the league regarding his gesture.
"Oh yeah," Brown replied.
He admitted that he has to be mindful of the league being sensitive about gestures, and said that he just got caught up in the moment. Brown had been engaging with Stewart -- who has a reputation for mixing it up with opposing players -- throughout the first quarter on Wednesday night.
"I feel like he's always doing stuff like [pushing]," Brown said of the Pistons big man. "I think that is how he plays the game. My focus is on coming out, running offense, getting our team in the right positions. I didn't want to get distracted, but there was definitely some going back and forth, and we're not tolerating that this year from nobody."
Brown played in control throughout the rest of Wednesday night's win, leading the Celtics with a game-high 28 points to go along with nine assists and six rebounds. For the season, the three-time NBA All-Star is averaging 25.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, and a career-best 4.6 assists per game for Boston.
Brown and the 18-4 Celtics are back in action Friday night when they host the Milwaukee Bucks.