NBA announces fine: Ingram fined $25,000 for throwing water bottle; hit staff member and caused game delay

On November 11 Beijing time, James Jones, NBA President of Basketball Operations and Executive Vice President, declared that Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram was fined $25,000 for aggressively smashing a water bottle on the ground from the bench.

The incident took place on November 9 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in a game where the Raptors fell 130-120 to the Philadelphia 76ers. With 6 minutes and 25 seconds left in the third quarter, Ingram’s thrown water bottle struck a staff member and caused the game to pause while the court was cleaned up.

At that moment, Ingram lost his temper on the sideline, grabbed a water bottle, and angrily threw it onto the floor. The bottle bounced and hit a Philadelphia 76ers staff member in the face, startling teammate Barnes as well. Ingram clearly saw that the bottle hit the staff but did not immediately apologize, instead awkwardly looking down at the floor. Even worse, while the unfortunate staff and colleagues had to clean up the spilled liquid before play could resume, Ingram sat motionless in his seat.

After the video of this incident spread online, the impulsive player faced harsh criticism from NBA fans on social media.

One fan commented, “I get that sometimes frustration leads to actions like this, but when you realize your behavior hit someone and caused disruption, how can you not feel embarrassed, immediately apologize to everyone, and help clean up? It’s terrible.”

Another fan added, “Throwing a tantrum and then just sitting there letting others deal with the mess—what kind of attitude is that?”

The 28-year-old Ingram was drafted by the Lakers in 2016 and played three seasons there before being traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Davis. In 2020, he was selected as an All-Star and named the NBA’s Most Improved Player in his first season with the Pelicans. After six seasons in New Orleans, he was traded to the Raptors in February 2025 and signed a three-year, $120 million contract extension.