NBA suspends Jason Kidd for slapping ball out of referee's hands

The NBA suspended Milwaukee Bucks coach Jason Kidd one game without pay for “pay for aggressively pursuing and confronting a game official, slapping the ball out of his hands, and not leaving the court in a timely manner” during Wednesday’s loss to the Sacramento Kings.

Kidd will serve his suspension Friday night when the Bucks play the Orlando Magic.

The incident happened late in the fourth quarter of the Bucks’ 129-118 loss, the team’s sixth loss in their past eight games.

Kidd, unhappy with the officiating in the game, said he had crossed halfcourt and onto the floor to get a timeout. As Kidd walked alongside referee Zach Zarba, he knocked the ball out of Zarba’s hand.

“From there, I’m trying to protect my guys — understanding we felt we were getting fouled and the whistle wasn’t being blown,” Kidd told reporters. “What happens in this league, you have to stand up for yourself, and my job is to protect those young guys.”

All things Bucks: Latest Milwaukee Bucks news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

Jason Kidd takes angry swipe at ref during game, gets ejected

Kidd’s suspension comes four days after the National Basketball Referees Association expressed disappointment that Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer was not suspended for stepping onto the court and bumping into referee Ben Taylor while the game was in play.

The NBA fined Budenholzer $25,000 but did not suspend him.

“Recent League precedent dictated that a coach who aggressively charged onto the floor during live action and physically interfered with a Referee would be suspended,” NBRA general counsel Lee Seham said in a statement on Monday. “We are now operating at a lower level with less transparency, degraded safety, and diminished respect for the Game.  Coaches should compete by creating better teams, not by physically intimidating officials.”

The league said the contact was incidental, and Budenholzer said he reached out to Taylor and apologized.

PHOTOS: NBA photo of the day: 2015-16 season