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www.nba.comNBA Announces Suspensions From Pistons-Pacers Game
NEW YORK, Nov. 21 -- The following suspensions were announced today by NBA Commissioner David Stern, resulting from the events during the Indiana Pacers at Detroit Pistons game on Nov. 19.
Pacers forward Ron Artest has been suspended for the remainder of the season.
Indiana guard Stephen Jackson has been suspended for 30 games.
Pacers forward Jermaine OÂ’Neal has been suspended for 25 games.
Indiana guard Anthony Johnson has been suspended for five games.
Detroit forward/center Ben Wallace has been suspended for six games.
Pistons forwards Elden Campbell and Derrick Coleman and guard Chauncey Billups have each been suspended for one game for leaving the bench during an on-court altercation.
Indiana guard Reggie Miller has been suspended for one game for leaving the bench during an on-court altercation.
In announcing todayÂ’s actions Commissioner David Stern issued the following statement:
“The penalties issued today deal only with one aspect of this incident – that of player misconduct. The actions of the players involved wildly exceeded the professionalism and self-control that should fairly be expected from NBA players. We must affirm that the NBA will strive to exemplify the best that can be offered by professional sports, and not allow our sport to be debased by what seem to be declining expectations for behavior of fans and athletes alike.
“There are other issues that the NBA must urgently focus on at this time. First, we must redefine the bounds of acceptable conduct for fans attending our games and resolve to permanently exclude those who overstep those bounds. Participants in and around the court must be assured complete protection from unacceptable fan behavior. Second, we must re-examine the adequacy of our current security procedures in Detroit and our other 28 arenas. The actions at Friday’s game, though unprecedented, must now be factored into all efforts to guarantee the well-being of our fans. Third, we must develop and implement new NBA rules to assure that the unavoidable confrontations likely to occur in the heat of competition are not allowed to escalate to the level we witnessed on Friday even prior to the egregious behavior by individuals in the stands.”
