Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo has been suspended for two games for his involvement in an on-court altercation during Wednesday’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets, the NBA announced Thursday.
Additionally, Nets forward Gerald Wallace was fined $35,000. Celtics center Kevin Garnett was fined $25,000 for “escalating the altercation.”
Rondo, Wallace and Brooklyn’s Kris Humphries were ejected from Wednesday’s game after a confrontation spilled into the stands. Garnett received a technical foul, but was not ejected.
Nets general manager Billy King disagreed with the disciplinary measures sent down by Stu Jackson, the NBA’s executive vice president of basketball operations.
This is Rondo’s third suspension over a nine-month span. He also received a two-game ban in February for zipping a ball at an official in Detroit and then a one-game suspension in April for making contact with an official during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series in Atlanta.
On Wednesday, Rondo took exception after Humphries delivered a hard foul that sent Garnett crashing hard onto his back in the second quarter. Rondo immediately confronted Humphries, delivering a two-handed shove.
The two then got tangled, with Rondo the aggressor, and the shoving spilled into the stands beneath the basket in front of the Celtics’ bench. Players and coaches from both teams rushed onto the court, with security and team personnel trying to defuse the situation.
Celtics coach Doc Rivers said earlier Thursday that he did not believe Rondo’s actions deserved a suspension.
Rondo called the foul by Humphries “malicious.”
Information from Espn.com and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
