New Orleans Pelicans rookie Jeremiah Fears and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Lu Dort got into a heated altercation after Tuesday’s game ended.
Fears and Dort got into a shoving match, and benches cleared in a rowdy scene. On Thursday, the NBA announced its decision to fine each player $25,000 for their roles in the altercation.
The following has been released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/bjjPzzTzk6
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 29, 2026
Fears’ anger continued all the way into the tunnel, and he even had a social media comment regarding Dort after the game that just stirred things up even more.
The Thunder defeated the Pelicans 104-95 at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. In the final seconds, Fears was goingup for a layup and thought he was fouled by Dort, which ignited the frustration between the two players.
However, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said the officiating crew “lost control of the game” even before that incident and added that a foul should’ve been called on the final play involving Dort and Fears.
According to Spotrac, this is the 15th fine of Dort’s career, although the rest of them have been for $2,000 each, so it’s a steep price for the Thunder guard to pay. This is the 8th fine for Fears, and the others were for receiving a technical foul.
While fans might be expecting more fireworks between these two, the Pelicans and Thunder don’t play each other again during the 2025-26 regular season.
