Perhaps more than any other major professional league in the U.S., NBA stars are not afraid to speak their minds. This year, it has cost players a total of $95,000 in fines for swearing, the most the league has issued in a single year dating back to 2003 to ’04, the first year for which the league provided data, according to Sports Illustrated‘s Howard Beck.
With fiery players like Draymond Green and Chris Paul’s teams alive and well in the NBA playoffs, that number may still break into the six digits before the season is over.
The 2021–22 season marked the first in which teams welcomed largely-full arenas for the entire year since COVID-19 took hold in early 2020. As a result, NBA president of league operations Byron Spruell said that the league has renewed its efforts in upholding league standards and “decorum,” even for swears that take place on social media or in print interviews, and not just on the court or in official press conferences.
