The NBA has suspended 4 players for a total of 17 games stemming from their roles in an on court brawl on Monday night.
Detroit Pistons centres Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren were suspended 7 games and 2 games respectively for instigating and subsequently escalating the fight. Meanwhile, Charlotte Hornets players Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate were each hit with 4 game bans of their own.
The NBA head offices have ruled that the suspensions will begin immediately, with Stewart and Duren missing Wednesday night’s game against the Toronto Raptors, while Bridges and Diabate will be out vs. the Atlanta Hawks.
The fracas began in the 3rd quarter when Duren was driving towards the basket before being fouled by Diabate. The two players got in each other’s face before Duren shoved Diabate, who in turn responded with a punch of his own.
While this was happening, Bridges became the third man in, throwing a left hand at Duren who escalated things from there. After being initially separated, Stewart then charged Bridges from the bench area which re-ignited the melee once again.
Because he left the bench area, and due to his previous history of suspensions, Stewart was hit the hardest in terms of supplementary discipline from the league. The 24 year old has already been suspended 5 times in his young NBA career, including two separate occasions last season.
Despite receiving the harshest of the penalties, many pundits have argued that Stewart is lucky that this incident happened under Adam Silver’s watch and not that of the notoriously heavy handed David Stern. Tim McMahon said “Honestly, I think the sheriff, Adam Silver went a little bit soft on crime.”
Former NBA star Kenyon Martin echoed that thought on a podcast saying “If this were David Stern’s NBA, Stewart would be suspended for the rest of the season. He’s getting the max – I’m telling you.”
In total, the suspensions will cost Stewart $724,138, Bridges $689,655, Duren $89,423 and Diabate $62,641.
Photo: Pikraken. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.