NEW YORK: The NBA fined San Antonio's Stephen Jackson US$25,000 on Sunday for a "hostile statement" directed toward Oklahoma City's Serge Ibaka on Twitter.

NBA Executive Vice President Stu Jackson announced the fine, which came after Jackson posted a message on the social networking site that said of Ibaka: "Next time he run up on me im goin in his mouth. That's a promise. He doin 2 much."

Jackson later apologized and deleted the message, which was widely interpreted as a defence of his friend and former teammate Metta World Peace, now with the Los Angeles Lakers, who had a brief tussle with Ibaka in a game on Friday.

"I apologize to Serge Ibaka, the NBA, and to all my fans for the comments I made," Jackson tweeted. "It was unprofessional and childish."

The Spurs had been quick to respond, with general manager RC Buford calling Jackson's original comments "absolutely unacceptable" and vowing to coordinate with the league on a suitable punishment.

Jackson and World Peace, then Ron Artest, were Indiana Pacers teammates in 2004 when the infamous "Malice at the Palace" brawl broke out at the end of a game in Detroit.

Artest received one of the longest NBA bans in history for his role in taking the brawl into the the stands, eventually missing 86 games, while Jackson was suspended for 30 games. - AFP

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