Hawks Coach Mike Budenholzer Fined $25K for Bumping Ref (VIDEO)

The union that represents NBA referees was not happy with the $25,000 slap on the wrist the League gave to Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer after he made contact with an official.

Budenholzer was upset with a call in the Hawks’ 109-97 road loss in Cleveland on Saturday, and got in a ref’s face.

Coach Bud says the incident was completely unintentional.

Per the AP:

Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer apologized Monday for bumping an official, an incident that drew a $25,000 fine from the NBA and led to a call from the referees’ union that he be suspended. […] The fine, announced by NBA vice president for basketball operations Kiki VanDeWeghe, followed Budenholzer’s ejection from Saturday’s 109-97 loss at the Cleveland Cavaliers.

 

Budenholzer stepped on the playing court to argue a call midway through the second quarter while the Cavaliers were shooting a 3-pointer on the opposite side of the floor. He collided with referee Ben Taylor and was quickly tossed.

 

“Recent league precedent dictated that a coach who aggressively charged onto the floor during live action and physically interfered with a referee would be suspended,” said Lee Seham, the NBRA’s general counsel. “We are now operating at a lower level with less transparency, degraded safety, and diminished respect for the game. Coaches should compete by creating better teams, not by physically intimidating officials.”