Toronto Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri learned how much saying an expletive costs in today's NBA landscape.
In a pep rally prior to game one of the Raptors' quarter-final series against the Brooklyn Nets held Saturday afternoon in a jam-packed Maple Leaf Square, Ujiri yelled "F---Brooklyn" into the microphone before leaving the stage.
Ujiri's wallet is now $25,000 lighter.
Thanks to social media, the comment reached national coverage midway through the first quarter of the game.
But what was behind the normally reserved, reigning NBA executive of the year screaming a profanity before his team's biggest game in six years?
One of my friends was at Maple Leaf Square, which is adjacent to the Air Canada Centre, and was caught in the middle of the frenzied crowd. He said before Ujiri and MLSE president and CEO Tim Leiweke took the stage to address the masses, they were treated like rock stars; fans stopped them for pictures and autographs.
The now infamous Ujiri quote was being thrown around by fans in the square long before the Raptors general manager took the stage. Mixed in were loud chants of "Let's go Raptors!" and "Brooklyn sucks!"
Part of the animosity towards the Nets is the theory they intentionally lost their final game in order to face the Raptors in the playoffs. Whether or not that is true, it got the fans riled up well before entering Maple Leaf Square that afternoon.
When Ujiri dropped the F-bomb, my friend said it felt like Ujiri was saying what everyone wanted to say, but didn't have access to the microphone. The crowd was in such a frenzy they would have stormed the ACC if that was what Ujiri wanted.
After watching the clip on Instagram multiple times, there was a moment just before Ujiri made his "drop the mic" comment where he looked over to Leiweke. It was like he was telepathically asking permission from his boss to ignite the crowd.
And that's how the incident started to spread. It started with people mentioning it on Twitter, completely in shock of what isn't normally said in a public forum by people who hold front office positions. Then, the clip was uploaded to Instagram. All of a sudden, we had the sound bite. Sure, as a fan, I wanted to believe it right away. It wasn't until I saw the clip that it set in. He actually said it.
In his apology - if you can call it that - during halftime, Ujiri didn't take any questions. He just gave his statement of what happened. Ujiri said it was the wrong choice of words and apologized to children in the audience, but he was just trying to get his fans pumped up for the game. He also added he doesn't like the Nets.
One of the immediate responses from Internet commenters was Ujiri would be fined. The league's ruling came out Monday morning and initially it was reported the Raptors general manager would receive only a warning after speaking with NBA commissioner Adam Silver and president of basketball operations Rod Thorn. Later, the league reconsidered their decision and levied the fine against Ujiri.
But did he earn the fine? Sure, it was a public event, but it was a pep rally meant to fire up the fans. He did just that.
Also, aren't comments like these things people crave in sports? You know, the honest opinion? How many times have athletes relied on clichés to navigate their way through press conferences without offering any emotion? Fans cry out for answers or comments like the one Ujiri made, but condemn athletes or team personnel who make them. There is no way to win.
When all is said and done with this quarter-final series, Ujiri's comments will have sparked a new rivalry in the NBA. Up until Saturday, it had been one-sided. While Raptors fans have disliked the Nets since the Vince Carter trade in 2004 and the then New Jersey Nets' playoff victory in 2007, the Nets haven't felt the same way.
Now, it's personal. Following the Nets 94-87 win in game one, the New York Daily News responded with this headline: "DON'T F--- WITH B'KLYN!"
Nets centre Kevin Garnett was not offended by Ujiri's comments following game one. He said it was all to get the crowd fired up and Toronto should continue to "root" for the home team.
As the series turns to Brooklyn Friday night for game three after Toronto's 100-95 victory, it will definitely be hostile territory for the Raptors.
The big question is whether Ujiri will brave the city he cursed out.
