New Orleans Pelicans rookie Jeremiah Fears faces a hefty fine after a heated on-court scuffle with Oklahoma City Thunder veteran Lu Dort.
New Orleans Pelicans rookie guard Jeremiah Fears has not shied away from getting into the faces of veterans across the NBA this season, but his latest altercation is going to cost him.
The NBA has issued $25,000 fines to both Fears and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Luguentz Dort for their tie-up following Tuesday night's game.
"At the conclusion of the Thunder’s 104-95 victory over the Pelicans on Jan. 27 at Paycom Center, Dort wrapped up Fears after Fears secured a rebound. After time expired, Dort shoved Fears in the chest, and both players subsequently grabbed each other’s jerseys in an aggressive manner," said the league's release.
A $25,000 fine is going to hurt Fears much more than it will Dort, who is in his seventh NBA season and has made nearly $70 million across his career.
Fears was the No. 7 overall pick in the latest draft and is, obviously, in the first year of his rookie deal. He's set to make $7.5 million this year. That $25k is still going to hurt to have to hand over.
The fiery personality of the rookie and his "0 Fears" moniker have been just a couple of reasons that fans have been quick to rally around the guard. He has quickly shown that he is going to be around the league for a long time, so that fine might not hurt in the long term.
Fears will have to manage his emotions a bit more to avoid gaining a reputation that players like Dillon Brooks and Lu Dort carry, but having an edge is still a good thing.
Perhaps the fine will give him a little bit of extra motivation heading into New Orleans' next game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.