The NBA announced today that Milwaukee Bucks rookie guard Brandon Jennings has been fined $7,500 for posting a message on his Twitter account in violation of NBA rules.
On Saturday, December 12, a message was posted on Jennings’ Twitter account immediately following the Bucks’ 108-101 double overtime win over Portland at the Bradley Center.
Jennings tweeted the following message in the locker room immediately after the game:
‘Back to 500. Yess!!! "500" means where doing good. Way to Play Hard Guys.’
The league fined Phoenix Suns forward Amare Stoudemire $7,500 in late November for tweeting during the team’s 126-111 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
The NBA announced its new social media policy in late September. Here's how ESPN's Marc Stein described the policy on the day it was announced:
The NBA formally announced its new social media guidelines Wednesday, informing teams through a league memorandum that the use of cell phones, PDAs and other electronic communications devices — and thus accessing Twitter, Facebook and similar social media sites — is now prohibited during games for players, coaches and other team personnel involved in the game.
The league has defined "during games" as the period of time beginning 45 minutes before the opening tip and ending "after the postgame locker room is open to the media and coaches and players have first fulfilled their obligation to be available to media attending the game."
"During games" also encompasses halftime, according to the memo, but the new guidelines do allow players to engage in social networking during the pregame media ccess period that starts 90 minutes before tipoff and lasts for 45 minutes.
Jennings tweet was made after a game.
The Bucks play the Cavs tonight in Cleveland. The game is on ESPN.
UPDATE:
At 1:36 p.m. Friday, Jennings posted this on Twitter, "I'm bout to delete my twitter. Twitter cost me 7500. Looks like no Gucci and Louie for Xmas."
Later he posted, "I understand I got fined, but 7500? For being happy over a win, you would of thought I said something bad. I mean it was a big win for us."
A life-long and passionate community leader and Milwaukeean, Jeff Sherman is a co-founder of OnMilwaukee.
He grew up in Wauwatosa and graduated from Marquette University, as a Warrior. He holds an MBA from Cardinal Stritch University, and is the founding president of Young Professionals of Milwaukee (YPM)/Fuel Milwaukee.
Early in his career, Sherman was one of youngest members of the Greater Milwaukee Committee, and currently is involved in numerous civic and community groups - including board positions at The Wisconsin Center District, Wisconsin Club and Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. He's honored to have been named to The Business Journal's "30 under 30" and Milwaukee Magazine's "35 under 35" lists.
He owns a condo in Downtown and lives in greater Milwaukee with his wife Stephanie, his son, Jake, and daughter Pierce. He's a political, music, sports and news junkie and thinks, for what it's worth, that all new movies should be released in theaters, on demand, online and on DVD simultaneously.
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