San Antonio Spurs in trouble over star players’ Halloween photo

ISTANBUL

This Jan. 22, 2011 file photo shows San Antonio Spurs, from left, guard Manu Ginobili, of Argentina, Richard Jefferson, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, of France, watching action from the bench in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the New Orleans Hornets in New Orleans. AP photo

A Halloween photo of basketball players Tony Parker and Tim Duncan looks set to cause some trouble to the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA, Yahoo has reported.   

The photo, which first appeared on Reddit, shows the two, both in costume, pointing toy guns at the head of a man dressed as NBA referee Joey Crawford.

Crawford is one of the league's most controversial referees and reportedly once ejected Duncan from a game while he was on the bench. The league suspended Crawford for the incident, according to Yahoo.

The scandal surrounding the photo comes in the wake of the NBA's decision to issue the Spurs with a stiff penalty of $250,000 for sending Duncan, Parker and two others home to rest on Nov. 29 instead of suiting them up against the Miami Heat, the reigning champions, in a nationally televised game.