The NBA responded after a ref appeared to be mocking Trae Young and the Hawks

It wasn’t what it seemed.

When the NBA launched a series of new rules to cut down on foul-hunting movements, players like James Harden, Trae Young and Luka Doncic were seen as obvious targets for the changes. That impact has already been apparent in the early going of this season, and the affected players haven’t shied away from voicing their frustration.

Young, in particular, has seen his free-throw attempt average drop from 9 attempts per game over the past two seasons to 5.8 this season. He already has 4 technical fouls this season, and on Saturday, it briefly appeared that one referee was taking joy in the Hawks star’s frustration.

Video hit Twitter during Atlanta’s loss to the Phoenix Suns showing referee Kevin Scott make a mock-crying motion to the Hawks bench. At face value, the clip didn’t look great, and it even caught Young’s attention.

The NBA, though, said that wasn’t the case. The league issued a statement on Sunday to add context to the video. According to NBA spokesperson Tim Frank, the Hawks bench asked why Young was T’d up, and he made the gesture to communicate that Young did a “glasses/open your eyes” gesture to the officials.

Considering that Young has gotten T’d for the “open your eyes” gesture before, the explanation does make sense.

So much for that.