Charles Barkley made a bet with Mark Jackson, and they both lost.
The NBA fined each player $5,000 on Thursday after learning they had a running $500 bet on who makes the big play when Barkley's Philadelphia 76ers meet Jackson's New York Knicks.Commissioner David Stern levied the fines after meeting with the players.
"While I am persuaded that there was nothing more going on here than some verbal jockeying between two friendly rivals, it is my responsibility to make it plain to Messrs. Barkley and Jackson, and everyone else in the NBA, that on the subject of gambling, even the slightest appearance of impropriety is a serious matter," Stern said.
Jackson and the Knicks declined comment on the fines, believed to be the first of that kind in the NBA. Barkley could not be reached, but Philadelphia general manager John Nash said, "The NBA acted accordingly and prudently."
Barkley's short jumper in the closing seconds Wednesday night gave the 76ers a 113-111 victory over the Knicks in Philadelphia. Jackson, who finished with 33 points, missed a 3-pointer just before the final buzzer.
After the game, Barkley mentioned a bet he made with Jackson during last year's playoffs, when the Knicks swept the 76ers in three games.
"We just like to compete," Barkley said. "We bet $500 in the playoffs, and I won it back tonight."