NEW YORK — Toronto general manager Masai Ujiri was fined $35,000 and the team docked $25,000 by the NBA on Sunday for his expletive Saturday talking about Washington forward Paul Pierce when addressing fans before the Raptors’ playoff opener.
“People want me to say something about Paul Pierce but, we don’t give a (expletive) about ‘it’,” Ujiri told a cheering crowd outside the Air Canada Centre in an area dubbed Jurassic Park.
Ujiri was referring to the Wizards’ veteran who told ESPN he wasn’t worried about the Raptors because “I don’t feel they have the ‘it’ that makes you worried.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver attended the Raptors’ overtime loss in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series.
“I have the deepest respect for Commissioner Silver and the NBA, and while showing passion for our team and fans I will choose my words more carefully in the future so as not to indicate otherwise,” Ujiri said Sunday night. “I apologize and have acknowledged the fine with the commissioner. I consider the matter closed and our sole focus is on the playoffs.”
Last year, Ujiri was fined $25,000 by the NBA for ending a speech with an expletive before the team’s postseason opener against the Brooklyn Nets.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
