NBA Suspends Lakers’ Rondo, Ingram and Rocket’s Chris Paul for Brawl in Saturday’s Game

Chris Paul with Houston in 2018
Chris Paul with Houston in 2018. Photo by Jevone Moore/Cal Sport Media/CSM/REX/Shutterstock (9322723aq)

The NBA on Sunday suspended LA Laker’s Brandon Ingram four games without pay, Rajon Rondo three games without pay and Houston Rocket’s Chris Paul two games without pay for their role in Saturday’s altercation as the Rockets beat the Lakers 124-114.

Paul will lose $491,781, Rondo $186,206 and Ingram $158,817 in unpaid salaries.

Announcing the suspensions, NBA’s vice president Kiki VanDeWeghe said Ingram was suspended for aggressively returning to and escalating the altercation and throwing a punch in the direction of Paul. The 21-year-old also received a harsher penalty for confronting a game official and shoving off Rocket’s James Harden.

Rondo was suspended for instigating the incident, spitting at and throwing multiple punches toward Paul. Chris was suspended for poking Rondo’s face and throwing multiple punches at Rondo. The vice president also added that Rondo received one more game than Paul because he threw the first punch.

“We try to judge each one of these (incidents) on merits: who does what, who instigates, how dangerous the situation becomes and is,” VanDeWeghe said. “And also the discipline is an act of deterrence. We want to make sure that we deter this further action and make a statement that this is not acceptable. Fighting’s not acceptable in our league and never has been.”

Paul began serving his suspension on Sunday night as the Rockets lost 115-112 at Staple Center.

Rocket’s coach Mike D’Antoni disagreed with the length of Paul’s suspension.

“It’s just not equitable, he said. “If you want to suspend him one “(game) I get, just to make a statement.  Then you’re talking momentarily, he’s paying three times more than the other guys are paying for missing games? That doesn’t seem to be right.”

Harley loves music and tries to go to a music festival every summer. When he's not listening to music, he writes about movies, food and wine, art, and sport.