Kevin Durant knew he was facing a fine and the NBA handed over the bill on Thursday, hitting him with a $15,000 ($A18,500) punishment.
The Golden State Warriors forward was fined for accusing referee James Williams of holding a grudge against him that led to Durant's ejection from Tuesday night's win over the New York Knicks. The next day, Durant apologised for the incident.
On Thursday, the National Basketball Referees Association tweeted they had accepted Durant's apology.
Durant said Wednesday, "I looked at the plays, a couple techs, and I was being ... a jerk.
"That one foul at the end wasn't a foul. I shouldn't have slammed the ball down like I did. I can go back and say that I was being a jerk last night, and I deserve whatever the league is going to throw at me. I wish I could apologise to James because that was out of my character."
In their tweet, the NBRA also said they hoped to achieve similar "common ground" when the group meets with the National Basketball Players Association at All-Star Weekend next month, a meeting that has been scheduled with hopes of easing tension between the sides.
Right after the Tuesday game, Durant had said of Williams: "Well, the first half, I was dribbling up the right side and I made a left-to-right cross, and he said I carried. I kind of let that go. I asked him where he got the carry from. He said I froze the defender, and I said that's what the crossover is for and that's why I do it, to freeze my defender.
"And he tried to make a bunch of excuses, and I told him he was wrong, and he went into half-time probably with an attitude. So the second half, his whole thing is like he's trying to get me."
Durant added: "Look at my first tech. I got the rebound and I dribbled the ball hard, and he teched me up. He was searching for me. He was looking to try to tech me up to get me back because he's still in his feelings from the first half.
"That's what's been going on around the league the whole year. A bunch of that. I got to keep my head a little bit, but I was upset. I'm a human being too. I get upset."
Durant's teammate forward Draymond Green, was fined $25,000 ($A31,000) earlier this month for criticising referees, saying the league needs to get "a whole new crop" of officials.
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