Cussing, Fighting & Physicality: Ranking The Most Poorly Behaved Players in the NBA

Ben Mendelowitz Sports Betting Expert

4 minute read

Dec 15, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) on the bench after fouling out in overtime against the Houston Rockets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The NBA markets itself as a global, player-first league — but over the past decade, league discipline data tells a far more combustible story.

We analyzed all NBA fines and suspensions recorded by Spotrac from the 2014 season to the present, focusing on financial penalties tied to behavioral misconduct. The infractions included fighting, striking, kicking, obscene gestures, cursing, taunting, verbal abuse of officials, and suspensions related to physical altercations or confrontations.

Each player and team’s total fines were aggregated across all seasons, allowing us to rank the most penalized individuals, franchises, and behaviors league-wide

Key Takeaways

• Nikola Jokić is the NBA’s most expensive repeat offender since 2014, racking up $407,108 in fines and suspensions, largely driven by physical altercations and bench-clearing incidents.
  
• Rudy Gobert ranks second overall, with $365,258 lost, including the single largest fine in the dataset — a $263K suspension for striking/kicking, showing how costly one moment can be.
  
• Big men dominate the “bad behaviour” leaderboard: Centers and power forwards make up 7 of the top 10 most-fined players, suggesting physical play near the rim leads to harsher penalties.
  
• Anthony Edwards stands out as the NBA’s most-fined player for language, topping the league in fines related to swearing, obscene gestures, and inappropriate language — a rare case where words cost more than fights.
  
• The Minnesota Timberwolves are the most penalized team overall, with $760,258 in fines, driven almost entirely by star player infractions rather than volume across the roster.
  
• Houston, Denver, and Milwaukee round out the top four most-fined teams, all featuring high-profile stars with repeat suspensions or large single-incident penalties.
  
• Suspensions are by far the costliest discipline, accounting for over $1.5 million in fines, eclipsing fighting, obscene gestures, and verbal abuse combined.
  
• Fighting is the most common infraction — but not the most expensive, with frequent $25K–$50K fines adding up, while suspensions deliver the real financial damage.
  
• Verbal abuse of officials has quietly become one of the NBA’s most punished behaviours, generating over $1 million in fines since 2014 — more than obscene gestures or cursing.

Top Ten Most Badly Behaved Players in the NBA

Over the last decade, these players have racked up the highest total fines and suspension-related salary losses.

While Jokic and Giannis aren’t typically associated with dirty play, both suffered massive one-game suspension losses tied to physical altercations — which explains their surprisingly high totals.

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Anthony Edwards Has Been Fined The Most For Swearing

Not all fines come from fists and fights. Some come straight from the mouth.

Anthony Edwards leads the league in fines related specifically to inappropriate language, cursing, and obscene gestures.

Top Players Fined for Swearing and Language-Related Offenses:

Edwards alone accounts for more than 20 percent of all language-related fines in the dataset.

Top Ten Most Badly Behaved Teams

Some franchises consistently rack up fines regardless of roster changes.

Minnesota tops the list largely due to massive single-incident fines involving Rudy Gobert and Anthony Edwards, while Houston’s placement reflects years of repeated fighting and language violations.

Total Fines for Analysed Offences

Across all players and seasons, some behaviors are punished far more harshly than others.

Data source: Spotrac (2014–present)

You can check out the full data set here. 

The NBA may be more player-friendly than ever, but the league still draws firm lines when emotions boil over. Whether it’s a shove, a swear word, or a stare-down with an official, the price of losing control adds up fast — and some players pay far more than others.

As the league continues to emphasize sportsmanship and image, these numbers show exactly who struggles most to toe the line.

Methodology

To identify the most badly behaved players and teams in the NBA, VegasInsider analyzed official league fine and suspension data spanning the 2014 season to the present.

Data Sources

• Spotrac NBA Fines & Suspensions Database
  
• Timeframe: 2014–present
  
• Scope: All publicly reported NBA fines and suspensions tied to on-court or off-court misconduct

Infractions Analyzed

We included fines and suspensions related to the following behaviors:

• Fighting
  
• Striking, kicking, kneeing, or elbowing
  
• Obscene gestures
  
• Cursing or inappropriate language
  
• Taunting
  
• Verbal or non-physical abuse of officials
  
• Physical contact with officials
  
• Unnecessarily entering fight areas (fines and suspensions)
  
• One-game suspensions tied to altercations or misconduct

Calculation Approach

• Player totals reflect the cumulative dollar value of all fines plus estimated salary forfeitures from one-game suspensions.
  
• Team totals were calculated by aggregating all fines and suspension-related penalties incurred by players while on that franchise’s roster at the time of the infraction.
  
• Infraction totals represent the combined league-wide financial impact of each misconduct category.
  

Ben Mendelowitz

Ben Mendelowitz is a Digital PR expert who has a keen interest in a variety of sports. His research has been featured in USA Today, Sports Illustrated, Patch and Fortune, amongst other media outlets. Ben is based in London, and is a big fan of Chelsea. More from Ben Mendelowitz