When Miami Heat's Dewayne Dedmon was fined $15,000 in 2021 for kicking a seat cushion from his team's bench
During the course of his career, Dewayne Dedmon has made over $47 million dollars. Unfortunately, some of the money was spent paying a rather ridiculous fine.
Back in November of last year, the veteran big man got frustrated during a match and couldn't contain his anger. He proceeded to kick his chair on the bench before sitting down. The seat had a cushion on it, which proceeded to go into the stands. Luckily, nobody was hurt in the incident.
The following day, the NBA decided to fine Dewayne Dedmon for his conduct during the match. Mainly because he sent a projectile towards the fans.
"Per NBA: 'Miami Heat center Dewayne Dedmon has been fined $15,000 for kicking a seat cushion from his team’s bench into the spectator stands, it was announced today by Byron Spruell, President, League Operations.'"
Since nobody was hurt by the cushion, the punishment stopped at the fine. The veteran center did not have to miss any games because of his actions.
Was the NBA right to fine Dewayne Dedmon for kicking his chair?
As all athletes know, sometimes their emotions get the best of them. Whether it's the heat of competition or having an off night, guys lose their cool sometimes. Dewayne Dedmon is a clear example of this as he took his frustrations out on his chair.
While this wasn't the 33-year-old's finest hour, the question can be asked if it was right for the league to fine him. NBA players should be able to control themselves, but since nobody was injured, what's the point of issuing the fine? In the end, no real harm was caused.
The Miami Heat are an organization known for their strong culture. Typically, they like to handle all their problems in-house. Given how proactive they are with disciplining their own players, if this was serious, they would have done something.
Despite this minor hiccup, Dedmon has gone on to have a long and successful career as a high-quality role player. He still finds himself on the Heat's roster and sees consistent minutes as a backup. So far this season, he is averaging 5.6 points and 3.4 rebounds across nine games.
The league has been known to hand out some weird fines, and this one is certainly up there. Players should be allowed to voice their frustration as long as it does not harm others in the game or in the arena.