As has been made clear in the past, contact between NBA players and fans is largely frowned upon in the association. We were again reminded of this when Rodney Hood slapped a cell phone out of a fan’s hand when it appeared he was recording Hood following his ejection against the Washington Wizards.
Whether the NBA would issue discipline was never in doubt and yesterday, the league office acted and levied down a $35,000 fine for the Jazz guard according to ESPN’s Ian Begley:
Rodney Hood fined $35,000 for slapping a phone out of a fan’s hand, the league announces.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) January 12, 2018
Any sort of contact between fan and player will always be reviewed by the league office and this situation proved no different. You can watch Rodney Hood’s finable offense below.
Get the phone out of Rodney Hood's face ? pic.twitter.com/RBaisc7HNI
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) January 11, 2018
Even with the myriad of injuries the Utah Jazz have suffered through this season, Hood hasn’t had a breakout campaign like many predicted. Instead, he’s been outshined by standout rookie guard Donovan Mitchell as the go-to scoring option on the perimeter. Even so, Hood is posting a serviceable 16.5 points-per-game average though it’s coming on a paltry 40.3 percent shooting from the field.
