The Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler were both fined for the gesture the wing made on the sidelines during Game 5 against the Atlanta Hawks.
Getty Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat reacts on the bench against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half in Game Five of the Eastern Conference First Round at FTX Arena on April 26, 2022. When the Miami Heat won Game 5 against the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoff series, officially punching their ticket to the second round, they did so without the help of two starting players, Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry. While Butler was dealing with right knee inflammation, and Lowry was ruled out with a left hamstring injury, they were active cheerleaders on the sidelines throughout the game on Tuesday, April 26 at the FTX Arena in Miami. In the second quarter, following an impressive 10-0 run by Max Strus, Butler celebrated by gyrating his hips in a sexually explicit manner, which earned laughs from his teammates. The video of the moment was quickly turned into a GIF, which the Heat’s official account shared with their 4.9 million Twitter followers and the team’s 5.4 million Instagram followers. The latest Heat news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Heat newsletter here! Join Heavy on Heat! Two days later, both the Heat and Butler are literally paying for their R-rated humor. Per NBC Sports, the NBA released the following statement on Thursday, April 28: Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler has been fined $15,000 for making an obscene gesture, it was announced today by Byron Spruell, President, League Operations. The Heat organization has also been fined $15,000 for posting the act on social media. The incident, which took place from the team’s bench area, occurred with 1:43 remaining in the second quarter in the Heat’s 97-94 win over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on April 26 Too bad for the NBA, while the Heat may have wiped the video of Butler’s gyrations from their feeds, the moment will live on forever on social medie.
