On Sunday night, the Atlanta Hawks defeated the Chicago Bulls in an absolutely wild overtime finish when rookie AJ Griffin caught an alley-oop pass from the sideline and hit a contested game-winner by contorting his body in the air. It was certainly a cause for celebration as the home crowd went absolutely crazy, but the NBA deemed that star guard Trae Young celebrated a bit too hard.
After the ball went through the rim for what turned out to be the game-winning shot, Trae Young caught the ball before it hit the ground and immediately flung it far into the stands in celebration. Apparently, he’s not allowed to do that. As a result of his actions, the NBA fined the Atlanta Hawks star guard $25,000.
AJ GRIFFIN AT THE BUZZER AGAIN 😱 pic.twitter.com/CTvdPedfZU
— Bally Sports South (@BallySportsSO) December 12, 2022
On Tuesday, Trae Young responded to the surprising fine, claiming he “didn’t know I couldn’t do that” and lamenting that the league prohibits players from celebrating anything these days.
“Sorry to the hawks fan(s) who got a chance to touch the game winning ball. Didn’t know I couldn’t do that. Can’t Celebrate s*** anymore,” Young said in a Tweet on Tuesday.
Next time he celebrates a big moment, it’s safe to say Young will probably try to keep the ball on the court.
