Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic fined $25,000 for PASSIONATE rant against Lakers-biased referees

The NBA responded in a delayed manner, but has finally fined Darko Rajakovic for his now famous comments.

Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic fined $25,000 for PASSIONATE rant against Lakers-biased referees

Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic. (image via Open Source, X)

The NBA has finally done what everyone expected them to do. LeBron James and the LA Lakers were recently involved in a controversial clash against the Raptors.

After Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic‘s rant in the post-game press conference, this was just waiting to happen. The league usually fines players, coaches, or owners if they publicly criticize the officiating in a game.

So it did not come as a surprise that the league fined coach Rajakovic $25,000. This comes about after the Raptors head coach decided to vent his frustrations to the media after his team lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. 23 free throws were awarded to the Lake Show in the fourth quarter.

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Rajakovic is seldom found in the news and was quietly coaching his way through his first season in the league. The Raptors are not playoff contenders yet, but that is his goal. So for his team to go down not because of the way they played, but because of officiating was hard for the HC to take.

Rajakovic therefore, decided to voice his opinions in front of the media about the lopsided officiating in the game. He was clear when he said it was unjustifiable when the Lakers got 23 free throws and his Raptors got only 4 through the 4th quarter.

The league and its officiating issues this season

The Toronto Raptors lost to the Los Angeles Lakers 131-132 on the 10th of January. The game was close throughout the first three quarters. But in the 4th quarter, the Lakers were handed 23 free throws. The Raptors despite getting only 4, finished behind the Lakers by 1 point.

Rajakovic went on a rant after the Lakers were awarded 23 free-throws resulting in his Raptors losing the game
Rajakovic went on a rant after the Lakers were awarded 23 free throws resulting in his Raptors losing the game (image via Open Source, X)

Such was the lopsidedness of the officiating that caused Rajakovic to go on a rant. There have been other instances where players were ejected for simple reasons. Also, many coaches and players have been mildly vocal about flopping leading to fouls. There was also disbelief when obvious fouls when reviewed, were overturned.

The NBA has done the expected by fining Rajatovic. Fans and players would like to believe they will also proceed to fix the officiating to avoid such instances in the future.

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