Spurs' Zach Collins Fined $35K for Middle Finger Gesture After Ejection vs. Kings

The San Antonio Spurs' Zach Collins was fined $35,000 by the NBA after making a gesture with his middle finger following his ejection from Friday's loss to the Sacramento Kings.

The incident occurred after Collins was called for fouling Kings star Domantas Sabonis in the second quarter. He earned two technicals and an automatic ejection while protesting the call.

Collins was starting in place of an injured Victor Wembanyama. He recorded two points and three fouls in nine minutes before exiting the contest.

He could be heard cursing on the broadcast after the call. The broadcast then showed him pacing the sideline before extending a middle finger.

The start marked Collins' fourth of the season. He also started three games between Nov. 16 and Nov. 21 when Wembanyama missed time with a bruised right knee.

The Spurs have gone 2-3 with Wembanyama on the sideline this season. Interim head coach Mitch Johnson called the star's back soreness a "day-to-day" injury and said that "the hope" is he will return on Sunday to face the New Orleans Pelicans.

Collins will return to the Spurs' reserves if Wembanyama is able to slot back into the lineup in Sunday. He is averaging 6.0 points and 3.3 rebounds, his lowest offensive outputs since his sophomore 2018-19 season, through 23 games with the Spurs this season.

Collins' fine matches those accrued earlier this season for similar gestures made by the Denver Nuggets' Russell Westbrook and Minnesota Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards.

The NBA fined Edwards $35,000 after the Wolves guard looked into the crowd and held out a middle finger during a Nov. 15 win over the Kings.

Ten days later, Westbrook was fined $35,000 after gesturing a middle finger toward the New York Knicks bench during a Nov. 25 loss.

That's not the only gesture the NBA has been cracking down on this season. The league recently fined the Boston Celtics' Jaylen Brown $25,000 for what they called an "inappropriate gesture" after the forward drew a hand over his throat during a Dec. 4 win over the Detroit Pistons.