Chris Paul Fined $35K For “Reckless” Contact With A Referee: Report

At the end of Game 1 of the second-round matchup between the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors, Chris Paul was upset at a missed call by the referee and ended up making contact with the official. Paul was arguing a Klay Thompson missed call foul when he brushed up against the ref. With just 4.4 seconds remaining, Paul was assessed his second technical foul and was promptly ejected from the game. 

Incidents like this typically lead to a suspension, although Paul’s actions were deemed not worthy of him sitting any games. Instead, he was fined $35,000, according to ESPN. The official ruling states that Paul was fined for “aggressively confronting and recklessly making contact with a game official.”

“I’ve definitely got to be better,” Paul said regarding the situation. “I shouldn’t have got those techs and put my team in those situations, but the game’s always going to be emotional. If I’m not emotional, I’m not me, but I’ve definitely got to be better for my team.”

The Rockets were upset after the game in regards to the officials and even put together their own report detailing all of the missed calls from Game 7 of the conference final last season. Clearly, the Rockets aren’t going to let this one go any time soon.