UPDATED 1/4, 5:52 p.m. ET: Isaiah Thomas has been fined $25,000 "for making inappropriate contact with a game official," the NBA announced Saturday.
See original story below.
Isaiah Thomas has received his second ejection of the season.
Less than two minutes into Friday night's game against the Trail Blazers, the Wizards point guard found himself near Washington's sideline wrestling for the ball with Carmelo Anthony. As Thomas attempted to break away from the Portland forward, he extended his right hand and made contact with official Marat Kogut, causing him to stumble into the crowd.
As you can see in the clip below, Kogut then gestured he was throwing Thomas out of the game. The All-Star was seemingly confused by the response.
After three referees reviewed the call, Thomas received a technical foul and was ejected. According to ESPN, the last time an NBA player was ejected from a game within two minutes was on Dec. 8, 2002, when Utah's Greg Ostertag argued against a non-call during a match-up against the Lakers.
It's unclear if Thomas faces supplemental discipline for the technical.
The incident occurred about two weeks after the 30-year-old was ejected during the fourth quarter of the Wizards-76ers game. Thomas was seen entering the stands to confront Philadelphia fans who allegedly shouted obscenities at him.
"I'm never gonna be disrespected in any way. My dad taught me at a young age don't ever let anybody call you out of your name. It doesn't matter who I am, that's not gonna happen," he explained in a post-game interview. "When I missed the first free throw, and made the second, I'm running back, the fan had both of his middle fingers up and said, 'fuck you, bitch' three times. So then the timeout goes, and I go in the stands and confront him. I said, 'don't be disrespectful.' That calm. I'm a man before anything, and be a fan. His response was, 'I'm sorry, I just wanted a Frosty.' Because if you miss two free throws the fans get a Frosty."
The spectators received a 12-month ban from the Wells Fargo Center, and Thomas was issued a two-game suspension.
