The NBA has rules in place to address players who get into fights. Here’s a look at the types of sanctions players may face when they become involved in such situations.
What Is The Punishment For Fighting And Leaving The Bench In The NBA?
Basketball is a physical sport, so it’s not uncommon to see players get in each other’s faces. Occasionally, this leads only to trash talk before the situation is defused. At times, however, these tense moments escalate into a full-blown fight with punches thrown.
One of those rare fights occurred on Monday between the Charlotte Hornets and the Detroit Pistons. What started as a confrontation between Jalen Duren and Moussa Diabaté escalated into punches, with Duren throwing the first blow. Diabaté countered with punches of his own before the two were eventually separated.
That was not the end of the incident, however, as Miles Bridges soon became involved. This, in turn, prompted Isaiah Stewart, who was not in the game at the time, to leave the bench to confront Bridges.
Once the situation calmed, Bridges, Diabaté, Duren, and Stewart were all assessed technical fouls and ejected from the game.
The consequences for the four players do not end with technical fouls and ejections.
All four players will be fined an amount determined by their individual history of technical fouls and ejections. During the regular season, a player is fined $2,000 for each of their first five technical fouls. That amount increases to $3,000 for technicals six through 10 and $4,000 for technicals 11 through 15. Upon receiving a 16th technical foul in a season, a player is fined $5,000 and suspended for one game. Each additional technical foul beyond that also carries a $5,000 fine.
Because they were ejected, the league will also levy additional fines. A player is fined $2,000 for their first ejection. Each subsequent ejection results in a fine equal to $2,000 plus the amount of the previous ejection fine, meaning those penalties accumulate over time.
In addition to fines, the players involved in the altercation are also likely to face suspensions. The length of any suspension will be determined at the discretion of NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
The player most likely to receive harsher punishment, including a larger fine and a longer suspension, is Stewart. He was on the bench when the fight broke out and deliberately left his designated area. Under NBA rules, players must remain on the bench during on-court altercations.
Stewart will be suspended without pay and could also be fined up to $50,000 for his involvement.
