“He’s going to hit shots, and he’s going to play hard and play basketball the right way, so I feel like no worries on that part”, Keldon Johnson had set his own bit of expectations for Zach Collins, going into the ongoing NBA season. Reporters have reportedly touted the 27-year-old as a ‘floor-spacing big’. However, he has faced difficulty in overall shot-making over the years. With Victor Wembanyama not always managing to play 28 minutes on the court, the team needed someone like Collins to do his part well. Now, as the French star watched from the bench, the backup Center may have gone into the game looking to make a mark. Unfortunately, it didn’t take him too long to do the opposite instead.

As the Spurs-Kings matchup progressed, Zach Collins picked up his 3 foul of the night. The officials awarded a free throw to the Kings, leading to the decision. As the whistle blew, the Spurs backup center was visibly not happy. He even ended up putting out his middle finger to the referee when the latter wasn’t looking. The action certainly drew a shocked reaction from the commentators. Zach Collins now leaves the game after scoring only 2 points, grabbing 2 rebounds, and providing 1 assist over 9 minutes.

Victor Wembanyama had earlier been placed under a ‘Day-To-Day’ status on the San Antonio Spurs’ injury report. The decision came after he sustained a back injury upon taking a hard fall during the previous Phoenix Suns matchup. It was not reportedly clear whether it was the collision with Bradley Beal, as the Suns star drew a charge, that caused the injury. However, the soreness was bad enough to keep him sidelined from the game. Being the backup Center, it was Zach Collins’ task to cover for Wemby then. Now, Collins’ ejection may have resulted in Charles Bassey possibly getting an increase in his minutes, instead.

Referee Michael Smith reportedly made the ejection call when Bassey substituted the player out. The referee made the second foul call after Collins was reportedly almost ready to take the seat on the bench, but still kept talking and motioning back. The Sacramento Kings may have entered the history books with this call. After all, it marks the 3rd straight game in which one of their rival players has been downright ejected!

No one has yet revealed details on what punishment Zach Collins can face over the decision. However, if the past has taught us anything, it won’t be pretty.

What consequences can Zach Collins suffer from giving the referee the ‘bird?’

The NBA does not take it kindly when its players make inappropriate gestures. No matter whether it is to let out their anger, or provoke a reaction from the people they target. In fact, the NBA announced earlier today that they fined Jaylen Brown $25,000 for making a ‘throat-slash’ gesture towards Isaiah Stewart during the recent Celtics-Pistons game. When it comes to middle fingers, the league has handed out similar punishments as well.

Around mid-November, the league fined Anthony Edwards $35,000 after he drew out his middle finger towards an official. The action occurred as 3:17 minutes remained in the first quarter when the player drove into the lane into three defenders, made a pass, and received a charge call. Ironically, this matchup also featured the Sacramento Kings! Therefore, the league may also fine Zach Collins a similar amount.

Even if the league charged Collins that amount, things could have been much worse for him. After all, the league fined Rudy Gobert a whopping $100,000 for simply making a ‘money gesture’ towards officials back in March. Despite this, repeating such actions in the future would create a bad reputation for the backup center. Therefore, it remains to be seen whether Zach Collins will reprimand his ways or not.