As Terance Mann shouted expletives on his way off the court in Milwaukee in March, Hawks play-by-play voice Bob Rathbun encouraged the then-Hawks guard to keep chirping.
“Terance, get your money’s worth before you leave,” Rathbun said on Atlanta’s local broadcast.
Mann—now with the Nets—was dinged for his second technical foul, which led to an automatic ejection after an altercation with Bucks wing Andre Jackson Jr. in the fourth quarter of a blowout win. It also came with a $6,000 fine from the NBA.
But Mann’s penalty didn’t go to the pockets of the league or team owners. Instead, it went to philanthropic causes, as do the rest of league-mandated fines.
The result is ironic: Millions of dollars donated to charitable organizations stemming from on-court incidents or vulgar behavior from NBA athletes.
The NBA collective bargaining agreement dictates that the fine money is split between the NBA and the foundation of the players union. Both then give the money to a range of nonprofits and charitable causes, including education, disaster relief, and sustainability.
“There’s a level of disappointment just because in the moment, it’s kind of heated and that’s why you’re getting the tech,” Mann told Front Office Sports. “I think once you sit down and debrief after the game and you realize where it’s going, it’s not so bad.”
The destination of these fines isn’t exactly common knowledge among players. Mann, who is in his seventh NBA season, admitted that he didn’t know until after his rookie year.
“These players are young and they don’t necessarily realize where the fine money goes,” Erika Swilley, NBPA Foundation executive director, told FOS. “It’s important for them to know that their money is being used for good.”
Celtics star Jaylen Brown, an NBPA vice president, said last year that he would want the players to have more agency over the fine process.
“It goes a lot of times to the NBA’s charities or whatever they support. But as players, we should have a little more control over where our fine dollars go,” Brown said a week after he was fined $25,000 for an “inappropriate gesture.”
The NBPA Foundation recently launched a Fined and Philanthropic campaign to promote a program that uses the money from fines to match players’ charitable donations. The NBPA told FOS that it distributed $1.6 million in matching grants from the fine money during the 2025 offseason.
The union framed the program as “making sure players get their fine money back.”
Retired players are also able to receive up to $15,000 in matches from the program, including Jalen Rose, the 13-year veteran who last played in 2007. Rose used the money to fund his charter school in Detroit.
Technical foul fines are a slap on the wrist for players in the NBA who make an average of nearly $12 million per year. The penalties range from $2,000 for a player’s first five technical fouls in a season to $5,000 and a one-game suspension at the 16th instance. A $2,000 fine for the average NBA player is the equivalent of a $17 penalty for someone making $100,000 annually.
But that doesn’t make it worth losing, especially for a petty shoving match.
“Nobody wants to lose money for sure, no matter how much it is,” Mann said.
And the fines can add up. Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards paid nearly $400,000 in fines last season, excluding technical fouls. Desmond Bane was fined $35,000 for a single incident this year: hurling a ball at Knicks forward OG Anunoby.
The exact price tag of total NBA fines is unclear. Spotrac estimated more than $15 million in fines last season, but the amount includes fines and suspensions handed out by teams, not just the league. Some technicals and ejections are also rescinded after appeals from the players.
The final fine amount is still likely well in the eight-figure range.
“I’ve had players stay that it stings a little bit less when they know that it’s going to the community,” Swilley said. “Yeah, you’re going to get fined. It’s not going to feel great. You can contest your fines. But in the instance that you’re paying out the money, just know that it’s going to good.”
