New York Knicks forward Antonio Davis has been suspended five games for jumping into the stands during overtime of a 106-104 loss at Chicago Wednesday night, NBA senior vice president Stu Jackson announced on Thursday.
Davis gave the league a sickening case of deja vu when he climbed over the scorer’s table and ran into the stands, reminiscent of last season’s brawl at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
However, Davis was coming to the aid of his wife, Kendra, who supposedly was being harrassed by a fan.
The league does not want its players entering the stands for any reason, but acknowledged that there were “mitigating circumstances” taken into account in this case.
“We have made it plain to our players and our fans that players may not enter the spectator stands, no matter the provocation, and that violations of this policy will be treated with the utmost seriousness,” Jackson said. “We have concluded, however, that Antonio’s actions were the result of his belief that his family members required his immediate assistance, and have taken those mitigating circumstances into account in setting the length of the suspension.”
Davis remained calm after he went to the section where his wife was seated and walked away after security arrived. Davis was promptly ejected from the game after he returned to the bench.
As president of the union, Davis knew his transgression would merit an automatic suspension, but he initiated contact with the league office on Thursday morning to explain his actions.
Davis will forfeit more $630,227.25 in salary due to the five-game suspension, which begins with Thursday’s game against the Detroit Pistons.
Davis didn’t speak with the media after Wednesday’s game but released a statement through a team official.
“I witnessed my wife being threatened by a man that later I learned to be intoxicated,” he said. “I saw him touch her and I know I should not have acted the way I did but I would have felt terrible if I didn’t react. There was no time to call security. It happened too quickly.”
Knicks coach Larry Brown, who had a front-row seat to last season’s brawl in Detroit when he was coaching the Pistons, defended Davis’ action.
“I can understand the league’s point of view,” Brown said. “But I’d like to put Stu Jackson or David Stern or one of those guys in that situation and see how they would have reacted.
“I spoke to Tony. I’m amazed at the restraint that he had going into the stands the way he did. He got things under control and just walked back to the bench. I felt five games is really excessive but I also understand their point of view.”
The November 19, 2004 game between the Indiana Pacers and Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills featured one of the craziest melees in NBA history. Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson and Jermaine O’Neal of the Pacers all landed haymakers on unruly Pistons fans, who showed the worst side of their behavior by throwing everything from plastic bottles to chairs at members of the Pacers.
Artest was banned for the rest of the season, Jackson for 30 games and O’Neal for 25. O’Neal’s suspension was later reduced by an arbitrator to 15 games.
Artest ran into the stands and attacked a fan whom he believed hit him with a thrown object. Jackson followed Artest into the stands and also fought with fans. O’Neal punched a fan who had come onto the court.
