NBA announces fine: Bane forcefully slammed the ball at Anunoby, fined $35,000

On December 9th Beijing time, the NBA formally released the penalty, fining Magic guard Bane $35,000. James Jones, Executive VP of Basketball Operations, stated that Bane was penalized $35,000 for unsportsmanlike behavior by aggressively throwing the game ball at his opponent, Anunoby.

The incident occurred during the December 8th game at Madison Square Garden, where the Magic lost 100-106 to the New York Knicks. Specifically, with 6 minutes and 13 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Bane was also assessed a technical foul due to this action.

At that moment, Bane turned sideways, gathered strength, and slammed the ball with one hand toward Knicks player Anunoby, who had fallen out of bounds. Bane had no need to save the ball or throw it at Anunoby—he was standing firmly inside the boundary with both feet and was completely balanced. Anunoby then pushed Bane and exchanged some words with him, after which Bane received a technical foul.

This scene happened right after the Knicks had just blocked a fast break, leading 91-80 at the time. Ultimately, the Knicks held on to win 106-100.

Following this, every time Bane touched the ball, the home crowd at Madison Square Garden booed him. However, Anunoby took it lightly after the game.

“At first, I was a bit confused, but then I found it pretty funny,” Anunoby said. “I have a good relationship with Bane... he’s actually a nice guy.”