Paul George

NBA fines Paul George, Pacers' coach for ripping referees after loss to Bulls

Published Dec. 28, 2016 5:12 p.m. ET

Brett Pollakoff

Paul George was fined $15,000 for his public criticism of the officiating following a Dec. 26 loss to the Bulls, the NBA announced on Wednesday. Pacers head coach Nate McMillan was fined $10,000 for his remarks, which weren't nearly as inflammatory as those of his player.

George had plenty to say after shooting only one free throw in 39 minutes during his team's 90-85 loss in Chicago, but the worst of it was his insinuation that the NBA is fixed.

“I’ve been fined multiple times,” George told reporters, via ESPN. “I’ve been vocal to the point where the league issues [a statement], ‘Hey, we missed a call. Hey, we missed that.’ Officials do it during games [saying], ‘I missed that call, I missed this call. We’re sorry. We’re sorry.’ It’s getting repetitive. They see it, they know what’s going on. They know what’s a foul. They know what’s not a foul. It comes down from somewhere else how these games are going, I believe.”

“We only shot 10 free throws,” McMillan told reporters. “Paul shot one free throw the entire game [and] played 39 minutes. This is the second game where he’s getting a lot of grabbing, a lot of holding. [Bulls swingman] [Jimmy] Butler shoots 12 free throws tonight. [Opponents] are getting away with a lot of grabbing on Paul. [The referees] got to call the game both ways.”

Get more from Paul George Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

National Basketball Association