"I was just telling them all that it was worth 3 points," Daniels said, noting that when he extended his right arm toward the Pelicans' bench area, his thumb and two other fingers were extended, representing 3 points. When told his gesture also appeared to resemble a gun, Daniels said, "It might have looked like it, but I was just telling them it was worth 3 points. You know, pointing at them all, that's all it was. I was making sure they all knew how many points it was worth."
"I didn't get one. So, the ref was right," said Daniels, an Australian whom the Pelicans made the eighth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. "I was just out there having fun. I was hoping to hit a 3 in that corner so I could let the bench know about it. It was a game I had circled on my calendar."
Some on the Pelicans' bench appeared to ask officials to assess Daniels a technical foul for unsportsmanlike conduct. Meanwhile, Ja Morant was suspended 25 games in 2023 for waving an actual gun during a social media video. The NBA has handed down some high-profile fines for gun gestures in the past decade, including $35,000 to Josh Jackson in 2017 and $25,000 to Gerald Green in 2015.
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