Jayson Tatum Receiving A Technical Foul For Clapping Shocks Everyone, Including Kevin Durant
In today's NBA it seems like a player can receive a technical foul for just about anything. And on Monday night, Jayson Tatum learned that clapping is now worthy of a tech.
During the second quarter of the Boston Celtics' 126-122 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, Tatum committed a foul on Aleksej Pokusevski. The three-time All-Star had just missed a layup on the other end as well and was upset with the sequence. He clapped, just once, to show his frustration and was hit with the tech.
Tatum didn't clap in anyone's face or stare down the official after the whistle. It was one of the most innocent 'aw shucks' claps you'll ever see, but the referee didn't see it that way.
The ref couldn't blow the whistle fast enough to tee up Tatum.
Tatum was asked about the technical foul after the game.
"I think I just missed a layup and just committed a foul," Tatum explained. "Anybody in the arena, anybody watching the game could've seen I was frustrated with myself. I didn't say anything, I didn't look at him. After the game, you can just laugh it off when you see it."
With the Brooklyn Nets having the night off, Kevin Durant saw the technical foul while watching at home. He shared his reaction to the call by saying it was the worst tech he's seen in the NBA in quite a while.
I'm admittedly not watching - or playing in - as many NBA games as Durant is, but it's tough to think back to a worse technical foul call than the one Tatum received on Monday night.
Despite going just 9-for-23 from the floor, Tatum finished the night as Boston's leading scorer with 27 points in the win.