The NBA has fined the Atlanta Hawks $100,000 for violating player attendance and availability guidelines, the league itself announced in a press release on Tuesday.
According to this statement, the sanction is related to Trae Young’s absence from the NBA Cup game on November 12 against the Boston Celtics. This was exactly the only game the point guard missed in this first month of the season due to tendinitis in his right Achilles tendon.
However, the NBA conducted an investigation into Young’s withdrawal and, after an examination by an independent doctor, concluded that he could have played the game according to the medical standards administered by the competition. As a result, the franchise was deemed to have violated the regulations and was assessed the aforementioned $100,000 fine.
The journalist from Fixated on HawksBrad Rowland, has worked extensively on this case. Although Young’s discomfort was true, he has coped with it these weeks without missing any other games, so the NBA believes he could have played the game against the Celtics after previously enjoying two days of rest. In addition, a crucial event occurred in the NBA’s decision-making: the guard He was not on the injured list in the next game.
It should be noted that it is common for players to pause games without any suspension. However, this case has other peculiarities. The changes the NBA is making starting with the 2023-24 season are precisely designed to encourage player participation in matchups regular season– Include that the competition will examine cases in which the player who does not play is considered a “star” and his absence occurs in a nationally televised game or in the NBA Cup. Young is one of 49 players who currently meet the “star” criterion by being part of a All-NBA-Team or having participated in an All-Star in the last three seasons.
Consequently, the penalty for resting an uninjured star in an NBA Cup game is $100,000. Should the Hawks – or another team – commit a second such violation, the fine would be up to $250,000.
(Caption photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
