Since taking over for David Stern, commissioner Adam Silver has not issued suspensions as often or for as long. But some still stand out.
Even though Silver does not have much reputation as a disciplinarian as the NBA’s commissioner, there are a few moments that have required him to be a bit more strict than usual.
While there are unfortunately several off-court incidents that have needed attention from Silver, it is rare that something that has happened during an actual game has led to a player receiving forced time away from the team.
But the recent suspension of Golden State’s Draymond Green for his violent chokehold of Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert led us to wonder how this compares to other on-court suspensions Silver has issued.
According to research from For The Win, per Spotrac, the NBA has now issued 15 multi-game suspensions for on-court incidents since Silver took over as league commissioner in 2014.
Based on what we found, here is what caused each of the suspensions:
1
Draymond Green (5 games)
DATE: 11/15/2023
REASON: Escalating on-court altercation during MIN-GSW
RELATED: Draymond Green received the longest suspension of his career for choking Rudy Gobert
2
Brandon Ingram (4 games)
DATE: 10/21/2018
REASON: Fighting during HOU-LAL
RELATED: Brandon Ingram on Lakers-Rockets fight: I ‘stepped up for my teammates’
3
Austin Rivers (3 games)
DATE: 02/04/2023
REASON: On-court altercation during ORL-MIN
RELATED: Magic rookie Kevon Harris revealed what Mo Bamba really said to Austin Rivers before they fought
4
Killian Hayes (3 games)
DATE: 12/29/2022
REASON: on-court altercation during ORL-DET
RELATED: Mo Wagner was punched in the back of the head and then ejected after pushing Killian Hayes
5
Patrick Beverley (3 games)
DATE: 11/25/2022
REASON: For shoving Deandre Ayton from behind during LAL-PHX
6
Serge Ibaka (3 games)
DATE: 03/12/2019
REASON: On-court altercation during TOR-CLE
RELATED: Serge Ibaka grabbed a Cavs player by throat and then somehow missed KO punch
7
Rajon Rondo (3 games)
DATE: 10/21/2018
REASON: Fighting during HOU-LAL
RELATED: New footage emerges showing Rajon Rondo’s apparent spit at Chris Paul
8
Moritz Wagner (2 games)
DATE: 12/29/2022
REASON: On-court altercation during ORL-DET
9
Isaiah Stewart (2 games)
DATE: 11/22/2021
REASON: Escalating on-court altercation during LAL-DET
RE:ATED: A bleeding Isaiah Stewart tried to fight LeBron James after taking a hit to the face
10
Isaiah Thomas (2 games)
DATE: 12/22/2019
REASON: Entering stands during WAS-PHI
RELATED: Isaiah Thomas details confrontation with 76ers fan in stands
11
Joel Embiid (2 games)
DATE: 10/31/2019
REASON: Fighting during MIN-PHI
RELATED: Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns took their vicious fight to social media
12
Karl-Anthony Towns (2 games)
DATE: 10/31/2019
REASON: Fighting during MIN-PHI
13
Chris Paul (2 games)
DATE: 10/21/2018
REASON: Fighting during HOU-LAL
RELATED: An annotated look at the crazy Lakers-Rockets brawl
14
Arron Afflalo
DATE: 01/17/2018
REASON: Throwing punch during ORL-MIN
RELATED: Arron Afflalo put in a headlock after taking a wild swing at Timberwolves’ Nemanja Bjelica
15
J.R. Smith (2 games)
DATE: 04/27/2015
REASON: Altercation during CLE-BOS (playoffs)
RELATED: J.R. Smith ejected for hitting Jae Crowder as Cavaliers-Celtics game turns ugly
