Desmond Bane is being paid hundreds of millions to play basketball, not dodgeball. Even so, that didn’t stop him from chucking the ball as hard as he could at New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby.
The NBA did not take Bane’s actions lying down. At the same time, it’s not like Anunoby got hurt or anything; Bane’s actions were as aggressive as they were bizarre. Hence, the league took action.
How Did the NBA Respond to Desmond Bane’s Actions?
Bane’s little incident with Anunoby happened during the Knicks game against the Orlando Magic, where Bane chucked the ball at Anunoby while the latter was out of bounds during gameplay.
Bane was assessed a technical foul for his actions, but not ejected. Afterwards, the NBA Communications X account announced his punishment.
The post read, “Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane has been fined $35,000 for throwing the game ball with force at an opponent in an unsportsmanlike manner, it was announced by James Jones, Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations.”
“The incident, for which Bane was assessed a technical foul, occurred with 6:13 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Magic’s 106-100 loss to the New York Knicks on Dec. 7 at Madison Square Garden,” the league wrote.
The following has been released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/nid1JJ3mGT
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) December 8, 2025
Bane is owed almost $38 million this season, as he’s in the second year of a five-year, $197.2 million contract. Losing $35k isn’t preferable for anyone, but it feels like a love tap for someone like Bane, who’s making as much as he is.
It gets weirder, too, as this wasn’t the first time Bane had done that sort of thing this season. Earlier, Bane chucked the ball at Atlanta Hawks big man Oneka Okongwu during a very similar play, as it seemed he had done so out of pure frustration.
If this were an isolated incident, it would be odd, but most people would just let it go. However, the fact that this has happened twice, and these incidents were relatively close to each other, makes it seem likely that Bane will do this again if he gets the opportunity.
It’s okay for a player to be frustrated when things aren’t going their way, but throwing the ball at an opponent seems rather petty. There are better ways to take out one’s frustration, including slamming the ball on the floor, as it doesn’t hurt anyone.
In Bane’s defense, though, he is definitely not the first NBA player to do this.
