NBA's Longest Suspensions

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Jan 28, 2010

NBA's Longest Suspensions

Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton, Wizards

Three-time All-Star guard Gilbert Arenas, who had been suspended indefinitely and missed 12 games, and teammate Javaris Crittenton were suspended for the remainder of the Wizards' 2009-10 season after pleading guilty to gun charges for having weapons in the team's locker room.<br><br>But Arenas and Crittenton aren't the first players to be given strict punishments for insubordination. Here are the league's lengthiest non-drug-related suspensions.

Ron Artest, Pacers

In what has become known as the Malice at the Palace, the 2004 Pacers-Pistons brawl led to nine players being suspended for a total of 146 games and a loss of nearly $10 million in salaries. And it all centered on Artest, whose foul on Detroit's Ben Wallace escalated into a brawl between players and fans. Artest's hefty suspension (the remainder of the season -- 73 games, plus 13 playoff games) is the longest non-drug-related suspension in NBA history. He lost nearly $7 million in salary as a result.

Latrell Sprewell, Warriors

Two years after punching and threatening to hold a gun to a teammate, Sprewell went off on P.J. Carlesimo after the Warriors' coach yelled at Sprewell to improve his passing during practice. The four-time All-Star, in no mood for criticism, threatened to kill Carlesimo before choking him and dragging him to the ground. In response, the Warriors voided the remainder of his contract, but on appeal, Sprewell had the voiding overturned and the suspension reduced to 68 games.

Stephen Jackson, Pacers

Jackson, who was among the nine players to receive suspensions in the 2004 Palace brawl, was given a 30-game ban for following teammate Artest, barreling into the stands and throwing punches at fans. Though the players' union appealed his punishment, a federal arbitrator upheld Jackson's full suspension.

Kermit Washington, Lakers

The fifth pick in the 1973 draft may always be best remembered for the infamous punch -- the one that crushed Rudy Tomjanovich's face and skull, and left him eerily close to death. Washington was suspended for 60 days (26 games), which, at the time, was the longest suspension for an on-court incident.

Jermaine O'Neal, Pacers

Along with Artest, Jackson and Ben Wallace, O'Neal was suspended indefinitely following the Palace brawl. The next day, the NBA banned O'Neal for 25 games, but after the players' union appealed, claiming Stern "exceeded his authority," O'Neal's suspension was reduced to 15 games.

Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets

The 2006 incident at Madison Square Garden occurred in the last two minutes of the Nuggets' win when Knicks rookie Mardy Collins fouled J.R. Smith by grabbing him by the neck. An argument between the two escalated into an all-out brawl, and Anthony (center) topped it off by punching Collins in the face. Seven players were suspended -- totaling 47 games -- with Anthony taking the most stringent punishment of them all: 15 games.

Dennis Rodman, Bulls

As much as he was known for his presence on the boards, Rodman was known more for his presence in the headlines. And during a 1997 game at Minnesota, he lived up to his reputation by capping off a 15-rebound performance with what would result in an 11-game suspension. After tripping over baseline cameraman Eugene Amos, Rodman kicked him in the groin so hard that Amos had to be carried off on a stretcher. Afterward, Rodman, who lost an estimated $1 million in salary as a result of his suspension, scoffed at the severity of the incident, saying, "Maybe I'll send him some roses on the floor."

Nate Robinson, Knicks and J.R. Smith, Nuggets

Carmelo Anthony received the harshest punishment -- a 15-game suspension and badly damaged image -- after the 2006 brawl between the Knicks and Nuggets, in which an altercation between Mardy Collins and Smith (right) escalated to include 10 players. But Knicks guard Nate Robinson (left) and Smith played no small roles in the incident as they spilled into the stands. They each received 10-game suspensions.

Vernon Maxwell, Rockets

Houston's clutch shooter stormed the stands at Portland after, as he claimed, a fan taunted him about his wife's miscarriage. Maxwell punched the fan and, as a result, was suspended for 10 games and fined $20,000.<br><br>Send comments to siwriters@simail.com.