Anthony Davis fined $15,000 for obscene gesture toward a fan

New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis, center, watches from the bench in street clothes in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks in New Orleans, Tuesday, March 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

NEW YORK — New Orleans Pelicans All-Star forward Anthony Davis has been fined $15,000 by the NBA for directing an obscene gesture toward a fan.

NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Kiki VanDeWeghe, who announced the fine on Thursday, says Davis made the offending gesture as he left the court following the Pelicans’ 115-109 loss to the Charlotte Hornets in New Orleans on Wednesday night.

Amateur video posted on the internet shows Davis briefly scowling and extending the third finger on his left hand as he walks toward the tunnel leading off the court at the Smoothie King Center. Davis then immediately engages other fans with friendlier gestures including high-fives, as he often has done, before disappearing down the corridor leading toward the Pelicans’ locker room.

Davis, a six-time All-Star drafted by New Orleans in 2012, has drawn heavy criticism from some fans since publicly demanding a trade in late January.

He has missed four straight games while being listed on New Orleans’ injury report with back spasms.

The Pelicans visit Phoenix on Friday night.