NBA Players' Costly Fouls Are Turned Into Good Works

Luka Doncic's recent $50,000 slap on the wrist from the NBA is doubling as a boost for charity. His fine over a hand gesture implying refs had been paid off will flow into "Fine(d) and Philanthropic," a little-known National Basketball Players Association program that has been quietly turning penalties into matching grants since 2015, per NBC News. Here's how it works: Money collected from fines is split between the league and the union; players can then later request up to $25,000 in matching funds (retirees up to $15,000) to put toward good causes of their choosing.

The program is "making sure players get their fine money back," the union recently noted, per Front Office Sports. Under NBPA foundation chief Erika Swilley, those donations are becoming more targeted, per NBC. Recent examples include four Washington Wizards players helping erase $75,000 in rent debt for a dozen families, tied to a financial literacy course. Meanwhile, Chicago Bulls guard Collin Sexton has used the program to support Atlanta-area nonprofits serving foster youth and children with cancer. Swilley notes that it "stings a little bit less" when fines are funding something positive. "It creates gratitude when you know you're helping others," Sexton adds.