Cyrus Langhorne
Memphis Grizzlies star Matt Barnes has reportedly been punished for his publicized altercation with NBA head coach Derek Fisher last fall.
According to reports, the NBA has suspended Barnes for two games.
Memphis Grizzlies guard Matt Barnes has been suspended two games for his role in a confrontation with New York Knicks coach Derek Fisher earlier this year, the NBA announced Monday. The suspension begins Tuesday when the Grizzlies face the Miami Heat. Barnes also won’t be eligible to play Saturday at the Utah Jazz. (ESPN)
Back in October, Matt said he received a troubling FaceTime call from his son at night and went to check on him at his ex-wife’s home.
“I can’t believe people think I was some maniac driving 95 miles and listening to Tupac to go beat somebody up,” Barnes said. “No. I live 15 minutes away and I was going over to check on my kids because they seemed uncomfortable. That was my main reason for going over there.” (ESPN)
Fisher initially released a statement on the incident once it went public.
“In terms of distraction and how players feel about distraction, et cetera, we’ll see how it goes for our team,” Fisher said. “It’s unfortunate. But it is what it is at this point.” (ESPN)
According to reports, the altercation went down last fall.
We spoke with a family member who was at the home when the incident went down … and we’re told Barnes was heated from the moment he walked in the door and saw his former Lakers teammate in the home. We’re told Barnes berated Fisher for dating his estranged wife Gloria Govan — saying he felt disrespected because they’ve been good friends for years. The witness says Barnes made it clear he felt betrayed by Fish. (TMZ)
