The NBA announced on Monday that Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri was fined $35,000 for inappropriate comments he made towards an official during the Raptors loss to the Miami Heat on Saturday.
According to the release, Ujiri was fined for, “approaching the scorer's table and directing inappropriate remarks toward a game official.” It was a heated game that saw Raptors center Christian Koloko and Heat forward Caleb Martin ejected in the third quarter. Both players got tangled up while going after a rebound and a minor scuffle ensued.
Christian Koloko ended up falling out of bounds with Caleb Martin standing over him aggressively. Koloko tried to stand up and both players became entangled once again and the altercation spilled onto the camera rows. Following the game, Koloko was fined and Martin was both fined and suspended for one game. Heat rookie Nikola Jovic was also suspended for a game for leaving the bench during the altercation.
Masai Ujiri is the latest to receive fallout from his actions during the game. During his tenure as an executive with the Raptors, Ujiri has always been passionate about the team. This isn't his first dust-up with NBA officials. Back in 2018 during the Raptors' Game 3 playoff loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Ujiri was fined $25,000 for arguing with the referees during halftime.
In 2014, Ujiri was fined $25,000 for directing an expletive towards the Brooklyn Nets at a Raptors fan rally before Game 1 of their first round playoff series.
The Raptors have seen sustained success since Ujiri's arrival and they won the franchise's first championship in 2019.
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