Kevin Huerter’s Shocking Ejection Leaves Bulls Fans Confused

The NBA Cup game between the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat took a strange turn on Friday night at the United Center. Bulls guard Kevin Huerter, who is usually calm on the court, was suddenly thrown out of the game after a moment that surprised everyone watching.

The incident happened in the third quarter with 8:18 left. Miami was already leading 78–57 when Heat guard Pelle Larsson drove into Huerter and drew a shooting foul. After the whistle, Huerter tapped the ball away in frustration. The ball bounced off the back of referee Che Flores’ leg — and that tiny moment quickly turned into a big problem.

Referee Tony Brothers blew his whistle right away and called for Kevin Huerter to be ejected. The Bulls bench looked shocked. Huerter raised his hands, confused, while teammates and head coach Billy Donovan asked for an explanation. After a short video review, the referees confirmed the call. Huerter was officially out of the game, leaving fans upset and confused.

Before getting ejected, Kevin Huerter played just under 10 minutes. He made only one of his four shots but added two rebounds, a steal, and a block. The Bulls, already behind, struggled even more after he left and never recovered.

Later in the game, things got worse for Chicago when Isaac Okoro was fouled on a drive. He stayed in to shoot his free throws but then went straight to the locker room with what looked like a left hamstring injury.

The loss puts Chicago at 1–2 in NBA Cup group play with a -42 point difference, which makes it very unlikely they will reach the Knockout Stage. It also marks their seventh loss this season and their sixth loss in the last eight games — a tough slide after starting the year 5–0.

When videos of Huerter’s ejection hit social media, fans reacted immediately. Many made jokes about how such a small tap could lead to such a big penalty. One fan wrote, “Tony Brothers ejects known troublemaker Kevin Huerter for this VILE act of violence,” clearly mocking the situation. Some other one remarked, Kevin Huerter has just been ejected because he tapped the ball. This league isn’t real.”

Others called it the “weakest ejection of all time.” One viewer added that if the ball had bounced anywhere else, Huerter probably would have only received a technical foul instead of getting tossed.

Flores, who is the NBA’s first out nonbinary and transgender referee, was facing the scorer’s table when the ball hit their leg. Still, many fans felt the ejection was too much.

After the game, Huerter explained, “I was frustrated at the call… I was not meaning to throw the ball at the official.”

But online, fans continued debating whether the ejection was fair or just another example of the league being overly strict.

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