Fred VanVleet became a hero to his NBA brothers and fans when he decided to go scorched earth on referee Ben Taylor due to what the Toronto Raptors guard perceived as the official's personal vendetta against him. In an instant classic rant, VanVleet called Taylor's officiating “f–king terrible” and that unlike most officials, he's trying to be a “d–k” to him.

After all, Taylor called five of VanVleet's eight technical fouls this season. Thus, the Raptors guard thought that it was worth risking a hefty fine just to say a piece of his mind.

And on Thursday night, that's exactly what Fred VanVleet received after the NBA decided to levy a fine of $30,000 towards the Raptors guard. As a result, VanVleet expressed a bit of remorse over the comments he made in the aftermath of a crushing defeat.

“You will see me make mistakes in real time and make things that are not always perfect. A little unprofessional for my standard, so it was unfortunate,” VanVleet said as a response to his fine, per ESPN.

While Fred VanVleet acknowledged that he may been a bit unprofessional with his outburst, he also recognized that what he said reflects his genuine sentiments.

“You live and you learn and you move on. It came out authentic, it came out in real time. I wouldn't have done that if I felt like I had another option or outlet. I felt like I've exhausted my options this season, many different occasions. It is just one of those things, I am human,” VanVleet added.

At the very least, the Raptors guard hopes that his expression of his frustrations leads to changes in the way officials manage the game. It's the least he hopes will happen after essentially taking one for the rest of the league when he put Ben Taylor on blast.

“Speaking for a lot of guys, obviously I was frustrated, emotional. But there are a lot of people that feel that way. Hopefully going forward we see some change for the better, the betterment of the game. It was a little emotional, a tough loss, things not going our way, got caught up in the moment a little bit,” VanVleet said.

The Raptors will now hope that the officials won't be targeting them even further, beginning with their game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.