Montrezl Harrell, a 2015 second-round pick of the Houston Rockets, has been suspended five games without pay after pushing a referee to the ground, the NBA D-League announced on Tuesday.
Rockets’ Montrezl Harrell suspended 5 games for shoving D-League referee to the ground
The incident occurred with Harrell playing for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Rockets’ D-League affiliate, in a game against the Bakersfield Jam on Saturday. As seen in the video above, a scrum broke out as the final buzzer sounded. When an official attempted to intervene, Harrell shoved him to the ground as both benches got involved. Although it’s possible Harrell didn’t realize it was a referee pulling him away, it was clear the shove was deliberate. The National Basketball Referee’s Association quickly denounced the actions as “deliberate assault and battery.”
Another player involved, Derek Cooke Jr., was issued a one-game suspension.
Harrell was picked No. 32 overall by the Rockets out of Louisville, playing in 38 games for Houston and 12 games for the Vipers this season.
See More:
