Miami Heat shooting guard Jimmy Butler and Indiana Pacers forward TJ Warren have both been fined by the NBA for their little on-court scuffle on Wednesday night - but the fines are not equal. According to The New York Times' Marc Stein, Warren was fined $25,000 and Butler $35,000.
The reason for the $10,000 difference? Butler "escalated the incident on social media."
Butler and Warren exchanged some words and literally went head-to-head during the third quarter of Miami's 122-108 victory earlier this week, which resulted in technical fouls for both and an early shower for Warren. The league's official statement on the incident reads:
"With 6:29 remaining in the third quarter, Butler and Warren each received technical fouls for having come face-to-face in a hostile manner. With 6:22 remaining in the third quarter, Butler committed an offensive foul against Warren, which has been upgraded to a Flagrant Foul 1 upon league office review. The foul call on Butler prompted a taunt from Warren, which resulted in his second technical and subsequent ejection. Following his objection, Warren made an obscene gesture. After the game, Butler continued to escalate the incident via social media."
That last line references Butler's IG post in which he shared a photo of the date of Miami's next game against Indiana (at Indiana on March 20) along with the caption, "@t.warren1 don’t be mad you can’t guard me. we will see what you about in March." Butler also had the following to say about Warren after the game, "He's soft. He's not even in my fucking league. Nowhere near me. If I was their coach, I would never put him on me. Ever again... He's trash."
The All-Star guard inked a four-year, $142 million contract prior to the start of the season, so we don't think this $35K fine will stop him from trolling Warren, or any other opponent, moving forward.