Miami Heat small forward Gerald Green. (Photo : Getty Images)
In this day and age of sensitive gun violence incidents, the NBA evidently did not like Miami Heat small forward Gerald Green's recent firearm-shooting and throat-slashing celebratory gestures to be a common practice this season, resulting in a $25,000 fine on Friday.
The incident came in the fourth quarter of Miami's recent 110-105 preseason victory over the Washington Wizards, as reported by ESPN. Green was hot in the game, scoring 28 points and collaring nine rebounds to lead the Heat.
However, after he buried a pair of treys in the final period, he celebrated it by making his hands and fingers mimic a rifle he used to shoot, thankfully, particularly at no one. And to make matters worse, he added a throat-slashing motion to it, which was clearly untimely considering the latest occurrences today.
While the idea seems harmless and of course intended by Green to be for entertainment purposes only, it is good to know that the league is perceptive about these kinds of issues and are vigilant to remind its highly popular players to watch their actions and behaviors off the court and on it as well.
Bleacher Report noted that "while it's fun and games when it comes to celebrating athletic achievements, those in the public spotlight have to be aware of their audiences and whether their actions might offend fans or send the wrong message."
NBA players are pretty well-known all over the world and some young people even consider them as role models. In this case, even if it is not required in their contracts to have a good reputation, it should be a personal responsibility of anyone who is in the public's eye to try and set a good example to whomever it is who may be watching them.
