NEW YORK (Ticker) Ron Artest is in trouble again.
The mercurial forward of the Indiana Pacers was fined $10,000 by the NBA on Thursday for publicly requesting a trade, a violation of the new collective bargaining agreement.
Artest’s statements came in an interview published in the Indianapolis Star on Sunday. An All-Star and the Defensive Player of the Year in 2004, Artest has been placed on the inactive list by the Pacers.
A release from the NBA said Artest was fined for “making public statements detrimental to the NBA.” A statement from NBA senior vice president and general counsel Rick Buchanan explained the punishment.
“Public trade demands by players was a subject discussed at length during collective bargaining negotiations this summer,” Buchanan said. “The damage caused by these kind of statements was commonly understood, as was the NBA’s intention to hold players accountable for such statements going forward.”
Before being placed on the inactive list, Artest was averaging 19.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and a league-leading 2.63 steals in 16 games.
Last season, Artest was suspended 75 games the longest non-drug ban in NBA history for his major role in the brawl at The Palace of Auburn Hills on November 19, 2004.
After a scuffle on the court with Detroit Pistons center Ben Wallace, Artest was hit with a partially full plastic cup thrown from the stands and charged into the seats, attacking a fan he believed threw the cup.
The incident triggered a full-scale riot between players and fans and led to changes in security measures at all NBA arenas. Artest later faced criminal charges but was sentenced to probation and community service.
In the 2002-03 season, Artest was suspended for instigating an altercation with Miami Heat coach Pat Riley and fined and suspended for smashing a TV camera after a game at Madison Square Garden. He also got into a shoving match with a Pacers official after a postseason loss.
