CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Charlotte Bobcats guard Brevin Knight accused a referee on Wednesday of bumping him in a game on Saturday and plans to appeal a $25,000 fine he received in connection with the incident.
Knight was fined for what the league called "verbal abuse of a game official and for failing to leave the court in a timely manner" at the end of Saturday's game against Memphis.
But Knight, who received a technical foul from referee Joe DeRosa early in the fourth quarter, said he was bumped by DeRosa.
"He made his trek from the other side of the court while I was beside the bench. He made contact and then he said to me, 'Oh, you're going to bump me,'" Knight said. "I said, 'You bumped into me.' So he gave me the tech."
Knight said he told DeRosa after the game that he strongly disagreed with the call.
"For him to initiate some type of contact and then call a tech on me was wrong. Then I left the court," Knight said.
NBA spokesman Tim Frank disputed the claim.
"That is not how we viewed the situation," Frank said.
Knight said his agent has contacted the players' association and they plan to send a videotape of the incident to the league.
"We'll definitely appeal that, especially with the extent of the fine was so much you would have thought I went on a tirade on this man and cursed him out," Knight said. "It didn't happen. For an incident that he initiated."
Bobcats coach Bernie Bickerstaff said Knight may have a case.
"I talked to Brevin and obviously he says it's not warranted," Bickerstaff said. "It's something that Brevin has to look into."
It's the second time Knight has been fined this season. Knight was fined $10,000 in November for failing to leave the court in a timely manner after being ejected for picking up two technical fouls in a game against Seattle.
Knight missed Wednesday's game against Sacramento with pain in his groin and abdomen.