Inside The Nuggets

BREAKING: NBA's Punishment for Nikola Jokic Revealed

The NBA is fining Nikola Jokic for his Game 4 incident with Suns owner Mat Ishbia

Joey Linn

© Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
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Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia publicly advocated for Nikola Jokic not to be fined or suspended following the Game 4 incident where Jokic made contact with the Suns owner. In a Tweet on Monday morning, Ishbia wrote, "Great win for the Suns last night in an amazing series so far! That should be and is the only story. Suspending or fining anyone over last nights incident would not be right. I have alot of respect for Jokic and don’t want to see anything like that. Excited for game 5! Go Suns!"

Despite Ishbia calling for no further punishment, it was announced by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowksi that Jokic will be fined $25,000 for the incident:

Wojnarowksi also reported that Jokic will not be suspended, which is great news. With the series tied 2-2, the NBA suspending Jokic for a play like that would be incredibly hard to justify. These were the sentiments shared by everybody after the game, including Jokic himself, who said, "[Ishbia] is a fan, isn't he? Sitting on the court, he's a fan, isn't he? That doesn't mean - whoever it is, he's a fan, he cannot influence the game by holding on the ball."

With the NBA's decision including just a fine and not a suspension, Jokic will be available to play Game 5 against the Suns in Denver.

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Title: Credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation Email: joeylinn52@gmail.com Education: Communication Studies degree from Biola University Location: Los Angeles, California Expertise: NBA analysis and reporting Experience: Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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