Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards crashes into referee John Butler #30 in the third quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Capital One Arena on February 11, 2023 in Washington, DC. Greg Fiume/Getty Images/AFP
Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Monday for making contact with a game official after knocking a referee into an empty front-row seat.
Beal made a leaping deflection of a long pass attempt with 8:26 remaining in the third quarter of Washington’s 127-113 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday.
When Beal landed near the sideline, he bumped into referee John Butler, sending the official into a vacant front-row chair.
Three-time NBA All-Star Beal, in his 11th season in the league and with the Wizards, is averaging 22.5 points, 5.2 assists and 3.5 rebounds a game this season.
The 29-year-old backcourt standout, selected third overall in the 2012 NBA Draft, has helped the Wizards reach the playoffs in five of the past nine seasons, but Washington has not gone past the second round since losing the 1979 NBA Finals.
The Wizards rank 10th in the Eastern Conference with a 26-30 record following a 135-126 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Monday in San Francisco.