Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah was fined $15,000 for his tirade against officials on Monday night where he pointed at the referees and shouted, "f--- you!" at each one individually after being ejected during the Bulls' eventual 99-70 defeat at the hands of the Sacramento Kings.
Noah was automatically ejected in the third quarter of Monday night's contest for picking up his second technical foul after reacting to a foul call, and went on a verbal attack against the game officials before being escorted off the court. He was subsequently fined and apologized afterwards, and when he prepared to take on the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday he said he believed the fine was fair and he was happy to avoid a suspension.
"I think it was fair," the All-Star told ESPN. "It was a bad mistake on my part. I have to keep my cool under all circumstances. It's unfortunate I have to pay for it. And I have to move on and just get ready for the game."
Noah said he was prepared for some discipline from the NBA because he realized it was out of his control.
"I was ready for whatever consequences were going to be thrown my way," Noah said via ESPN before his team's 101-92 victory over the Suns. "I'm just happy that I'm able to play [Tuesday] and be there with my teammates."
Noah had apologized after the game and said he was reacting more towards how the Bulls were playing than how the referees were performing, and admitted that the Bulls being well on their way to one of their worst losses of the season propelled him to lash out at the referees.
"I think I was just frustrated with that," Noah said about the way his team was playing, according to ESPN. "I just have to do a better job of keeping my composure. I could've easily been suspended for a game and that would've been really hard for me just not to be able to be there for my teammates. So I can't let things like that happen."
Noah had picked up his first technical foul just three minutes before he berated the officials on a foul call against him.
Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau said after the game that he didn't blame the officials for the game and thought his team just didn't have it Monday night.
"It's a fine," Thibodeau said per ESPN. "To me, it was a frustrating game. It's an emotional game. Obviously, you don't want to lose control of your emotions. It happened. I never thought it warranted suspension. It was probably appropriate. He got fined for cursing."
The Bulls head to California to take on the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night, and Noah will take the court $15,000 poorer.
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