The NBA announced Wednesday that they have fined Miami Heat President Pat Riley $25,000 for violating the league’s anti-tampering policy. The rule violation stemmed from comments surrounding Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.
Tampering rules are meant to prevent team officials from publicly discussing players on other teams, similar to anti-recruitment rules in the NCAA. In his comments, Riley said he would “leave the key under the doormat” if James ever wanted to return to the Heat.
While seemingly harmless, the comments are a violation of the anti-tampering policy, which the NBA has cracked down on in recent years.