The NBA on Monday fined Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown $35,000 for criticizing game officials after a 100-95 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night at TD Garden in Boston, where he publicly questioned the consistency of the officiating and said he would accept any penalty the league imposed.
The league announced the fine in a statement and cited Brown’s postgame remarks to reporters, in which he used expletives and challenged several calls and non-calls made during the contest.
Brown told reporters in the locker room after the game that he believed officials did not apply the rules evenly during the matchup between the Celtics and the Spurs.
He said he thought San Antonio played strong defense but argued that the officiating did not reflect what he viewed as the physical nature of the game.
Brown and the Celtics attempted a total of four free throws during the game, and Brown did not go to the free-throw line, according to the box score released after the contest.
Brown said during his two-minute postgame interview that he expected a fine and stated that the league could “fine me whatever they want,” while continuing to criticize the calls.
The NBA stated that the amount of the fine reflected the language Brown used and the directness of his criticism of the officiating crew.
The league maintains rules that prohibit players and coaches from publicly questioning the integrity or competence of game officials, and it regularly issues fines for comments that violate those policies.
Brown has played a central role for the Celtics this season, and he started in Saturday’s game against the Spurs, which ended with Boston’s record affected in the early portion of the regular-season schedule.
The game featured multiple close possessions in the fourth quarter, and Brown referenced several late-game sequences when he described what he saw as inconsistent officiating.
Reporters recorded and shared Brown’s comments through postgame video clips and written accounts, which circulated widely before the league office reviewed the remarks.
The NBA’s basketball operations office, which oversees discipline for on-court and postgame conduct, reviewed Brown’s statements and determined the fine amount before issuing its announcement on Monday.
The Celtics organization did not immediately release a formal statement about the fine on Monday, and team officials did not announce any additional discipline for Brown related to his comments.
The Spurs did not publicly comment on the fine or Brown’s description of their defense and the officiating during the Saturday matchup.
Officials assigned to the Celtics-Spurs game did not issue a public response, consistent with standard NBA practice in which referees rarely comment on postgame criticism outside of formal pool reports.
Brown remains eligible to play in upcoming Celtics games, and the fine represents a financial penalty only, with no suspension or additional sanction announced as of Monday.
The NBA scheduled the Celtics to continue their regular-season slate later in the week, and Brown’s status on the team’s injury and availability reports did not change in connection with the league’s disciplinary action.
