Jalen Williams was one of the heroes of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s decisive Game 7 victory over the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Semifinals, but his performance during his post-game press conference leaves much to be desired—at least from the perspective of his accountant. Though Williams scored 24 points in the closeout game, he was fined $25,000 after the game (I’m no mathematician, but it seems like he was fined over 1K for each point he scored), all because he wore a shirt that said “Fuck art let’s dance,” a reference to legendary English band Madness. The shirt, which has always been a signifier of the counter culture, has now found itself on one of the biggest stages in professional sports.
The shirt may have been a nod to the survive-and-advance nature of the playoffs; it doesn’t need to be pretty, it doesn’t need to be art. Just win and you can keep dancing. Unfortunately for Jalen Williams, he’ll be doing so with a few thousand bucks less in his pocket, thanks to the league’s policy that forbids “clothing with profane language.”
Check out Williams rocking the shirt—which, of course, is now available to purchase here—in his postgame interview below.
