Brooklyn Nets guard Garrett Temple, a representative of the NBA Players Association, gave his two cents about Isaiah Thomas' recent suspension. The Washington Wizards point guard was banned for two games after confronting a Philadelphia 76ers heckler last week — an act Temple viewed as indefensible.
“Two-game suspension, I feel like that’s a lot,” said Temple, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “But the league can’t make someone say something or not, that’s the fan. … It’s up to the fans to change the way they respect the game and us as human beings.”
The two-game suspension will cost Thomas $32,000, while the heckling fan was banned from Sixers games for a year and stripped of his season-ticket holder rights. The fan was also refunded for the remainder of games he would miss the rest of the season, meaning he earned money while Thomas had to give it away as a result of the suspension.
A couple of game checks might not seem like much, but he's only making $2.3 million on a one-year deal for the veteran's minimum in this attempt to return to full health.
The NBA has put forward a zero-tolerance policy for fans, but they were forced to penalize Thomas as he went into the stands to confront the heckling fan.
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