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Golden State Warriors guard Shaun Livingston and NBA official Courtney Kirkland have each been disciplined by the league, following a brief altercation, NBA Executive VP Kiki VanDeWeghe announced on Monday. The two butted heads while Livingston argued a no-call on Sunday but, in an unusual turn, the league office determined that Kirkland “shared responsibility for the contact that occurred.”
Livingston has been suspended for one game and Kirkland has been removed from the league’s officiating rotation without pay until December 10. Video of the incident, official statement from the league office, and initial post-game comments from Kirkland are shown below.
Here's video of the Livingston ejection (via @NBCSWarriors). Ref escalated it a bit by going toward him, but Livingston's aggressive argument tipped it off pic.twitter.com/VjqH9FW58L
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 4, 2017
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Pool Reporter Transcript (via NBA Official)
Crew Chief Courtney Kirkland
Postgame – Golden State at Miami – December 3, 2017
NBA Crew Chief Courtney Kirkland met with pool reporter Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle after the game between the Warriors and Heat in Miami tonight. Here is the transcript of that interview:
Connor Letourneau: Why was Shaun Livingston ejected?
Courtney Kirkland: The reason that Shaun Livingston was ejected was for making physical contact with me. It was only one technical foul and he was ejected immediately. That’s basically it.
Bobby Marks of ESPN reports that the one-game suspension will ultimately cost Livingston $53,000. He will return to action after missing tonight’s matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans.