NBA Fines Brooklyn Nets, Coach David Vanterpool for Live-Ball Interference During Washington Wizards Game
Brooklyn Nets players wear outfits that bear the team logo prior to the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Barclays Center on November 23, 2012 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

The NBA has fined Brooklyn Nets assistant coach David Vanterpool for touching a live ball during their Wednesday night game against the Washington Wizards.

According to New York Post, Vanterpool was fined $10,000, and the Nets were penalized $25,000 by the NBA on Thursday after a video captured him interfering with a play in a victory at Washington.

The NBA decision will have no effect on Wednesday's game's outcome, which the Nets won by one point, 119-118.

Brooklyn Nets Assistant Coach David Vanterpool Deflected a Pass

With 5:42 left in the fourth quarter and the Nets ahead by six points, David Vanterpool reached out and deflected a pass from Washington Wizards point guard Spencer Dinwiddie to teammate Kyle Kuzma.

Nets rookie Kessler Edwards stole the ball after Vanterpool had his hand out and deflected the pass, sending the game the opposite way without a whistle or call.

Officiating crew chief Ben Taylor said none of the officials saw the infraction, and there is currently no rule in place for such a play to be reviewed or assessed.

Kyle Kuzma's only response was an outburst of anger as the Wizards could not challenge the play. He was understandably the most upset about it during the postgame press conference.

Kuzma said the Nets assistant coach deflecting the Wizards' pass was "horses**t."

"You've got [Nets head coach] Steve Nash blocking the ref's view. He can't see s**t. I don't know what else to say," he added.

The question now for the league is whether Vanterpool was attempting to change the ball's trajectory on purpose or whether it was just an accident.

Some netizens said Vanterpool's action seemed to have been planned, especially when the video slowed down. Neither the coach himself nor the Nets have commented on his intentions.

After the game, sportswriter Frank Isola claimed he'd never seen anything like that other than in biddy basketball.

Brooklyn Nets Coach Interference Affected the Result of the Game

The incident could have had a significant impact on the Nets' 119-118 victory over the Wizards in Washington. The score was 106-103 during the incident, and the Nets were able to gain possession, go down the court, and score.

Kyle Kuzma was so enraged that he and Spencer Dinwiddie took a foul to get a chance to fight with the officials. But there was no call, cannot be appealed, and the Nets went on to win.

Vanterpool may have been called for a technical foul, and it should have been Wizards' ball if the referees had seen it.

When it comes to coaches who violate the rules, there isn't much of a bar for the NBA. In 2013, former Nets head coach Jason Kidd was fined $50,000 by the league for instructing a player to bump into him and intentionally spilling soda on the court to induce the officials to call a timeout.

The Nets were down two with eight seconds to go in a game against the Los Angeles Lakers, and Kidd's infraction gave his team time to recover and prepare for a game-winning play, which fell short. The LA Lakers topped the Brooklyn, 99-94.

David Vanterpool was a professional basketball player, mostly overseas, from 1995 to 2007. Since then, he worked as an assistant or associate head coach with CSKA Moscow, the Portland Trail Blazers, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and now, the Brooklyn Nets. The 2021-22 season marks his first in Brooklyn.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Jess Smith

WATCH: 'It Didn't Cost Them the Game!' - Tim Legler Reacts to Nets Coach Deflecting a Pass on the Court - From ESPN