Longest NBA Suspensions: Ja Morant Adds Name to Players Given Hefty Penalties

• Ja Morant was suspended for 25 games after brandishing a firearm on social media
• O.J. Mayo was suspended for two entire seasons after failing a drug test for the second time
• Ron Artest received an 86-game suspension after he fought with Pistons fans in the stands

Ja Morant finally learned his fate on Friday, receiving a 25-game suspension from the NBA after a repeat offense of flashing a firearm.

The Memphis Grizzlies star will serve the ban at the start of the 2023-24 NBA season.

On the heels of Morant’s latest suspension, Sports Brief looks at the heaviest penalties given by the NBA.

O.J. Mayo (164 games)

Mayo served the heftiest penalty in the NBA as he was suspended by the league for two seasons following a second positive drug test in 2016.

He elected to play overseas after his suspension ended in 2018, per The Athletic.

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Ron Artest (86 games)

Artest paid dearly for his role in “The Malice at the Palace.”

He was suspended for the remainder of the 2004-05 campaign for entering the stands to fight with Pistons fans, missing Indiana’s final 73 regular-season games and the Pacers’ 13 playoff contests.

Latrell Sprewell (68 games)

Sprewell sent shockwaves across the NBA on December 1, 1997, when he choked Golden State Warriors assistant P.J. Carlesimo during a practice session.

He inflicted more damage on the interim coach, punching him 20 minutes after the initial scuffle.

Sprewell was initially given the first season-long suspension in NBA history in 1997 for the infamous incident.

An arbitrator deemed the punishment too long, reducing his suspension to 68 games.

It was a costly ban for Sprewell, who forfeited $24 million in salary when Golden State terminated his contract.

Gilbert Arenas (50 games)

The NBA suspended the Wizards All-Star for 50 games in 2010 after brandishing a firearm in the team’s locker room over a dispute with Washington teammate Javaris Crittenton.

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Along with violating the league’s policy of bringing a gun to the league and team facilities, charges were also filed against Arenas for carrying a pistol without a license in the District of Columbia. He pled guilty to those charges.

Javaris Crittenton (38 games)

Crittenton was suspended for the rest of the 2009-10 campaign following his locker room dispute with Arenas. He would never appear in another NBA contest following his 38-game suspension.

Crittenton was later charged and indicted with the murder of a 22-year-old mom of four in 2011. He was sentenced to 23 years in prison after pleading guilty to the charges in 2013.

His sentence was reduced to 10 years, and he was released from prison on April 23, 2023.

Stephen Jackson (30 games)

Jackson was also severely punished for participating in “The Malice at the Palace,” receiving a 30-game suspension from the NBA.

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He followed his Pacers teammate Artest into the stands and brawled with the fans and supporters of the Pistons.

Miles Bridges (30 games)

The league handed Bridges a 30-game suspension in April 2023 after he was implicated in a domestic violence incident involving the mom of his kids last year.

He has already served 20 games of the suspension in the 2022-23 season, meaning he still faces a 10-game ban once he signs a new contract, per Bleacher Report.

Kermit Washington (26 games)

Washington was suspended for 60 days (amounting to 26 games) and fined $10,000 by the NBA in 1977 after he punched Houston Rockets forward Rudy Tomjanovich during a game.

Tomjanovich was injured badly in the incident, suffering a fractured skull, broken nose, and broken jaw. He also had to deal with leakage of spinal fluid because of the punch.

At the time, Washington’s 26-game suspension was the largest in the history of the NBA for an on-court incident.

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Jokic steals show at parade

Sports Brief recently reported on Nikola Jokic bonding with his daughter at the Nuggets’ championship parade.

The Finals MVP was seen putting a ribbon on his young child during the middle of the parade.

He even protected her from the champagne that was flowing on top of the firetruck as the team celebrated their title win.