Marcus Smart Says $35K Fine Was Worth It as Officiating Frustrations Grow

Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart has never shied away from speaking his mind, and after two straight technical fouls, including a $35,000 fine for an obscene gesture, the veteran is making it clear that his frustration with NBA officiating has reached a tipping point.

Smart, known for his competitiveness and defensive intensity, explained that the issue isn’t perfection from referees, but fairness.

“It’s just the consistency,” Smart said, via Spectrum SportsNet. “We understand that not no one, not the officials, not us, are perfect. We don’t expect you guys to be, we don’t expect them to be. We just expect consistency, and that’s it. That’s the biggest part for I think any player in this league when you’re talking about officiating, is consistency. Because we understand that they can’t see everything, they are human. But it’s the consistent ones where you’re telling us you don’t see this one on this end, but the exact same play, you’re in the exact same spot, you see it on that end. All we want is consistency.”

Part of Smart’s gripe is that the referees won’t say anything if you try to talk to them, he explains.

“You can’t talk to them,” Smart said. “You can’t talk to them. You try to, and it’s funny because even in the Utah game, I went up at the beginning of the game to be a captain. The captains should be able to go talk to them, but they still don’t want to hear it. I mean, you control what you can control. If they don’t want to talk then you try and you move on. But it definitely is frustrating when you pour your heart out to this game and the feedback is literally waiving you off, telling you to get out of their face and then give you a tech because you’re asking questions. Hopefully they can get it together, but it’s definitely something that as a whole, we are, as player, frustrated with.”

He added, “Sometimes you gotta take the hit to get your point across. That’s what it is. They’re gonna fine you regardless, and at this point it’s like, what’s the point of us calling them to talk about a situation when you’re just gonna have your mind made up already? So it’s like, why even talk to you guys?”