NBA Disciplines Jimmy Butler Over Media Access Ahead of Celtics-Heat Game 4

The league requires players to be made available to media after games.

The NBA fined Heat forward Jimmy Butler $25,000 after he didn’t participate in post-game interviews following the team’s Game 3 win over the Celtics on Sunday night.

The NBA requires players to be made available after games and to speak to the media. Therefore, Butler violated this policy by not talking with media after the game.

It’s unknown why Butler declined to speak with media after the team’s dominant 128–102 win on Sunday as he has not given a public reason for his decision. The win gave Miami a 3–0 lead with the chance to sweep Boston on Tuesday night.

The following has been released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/AW4oKld2C5

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 23, 2023

Butler’s decision to miss media availability after Game 3 comes after one of his answers after Game 2 regarding the trash talk that took place between him and Grant Williams on the court went viral.

In 31 minutes of game play on Sunday, Butler totaled 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists. In 13 Heat games this postseason, Butler leads the Heat with averages of 29.9 points, 5.6 assists and 2.2 steals per game.