Former Spurs guard and current free agent Joshua Primo has been suspended for four games for conduct detrimental to the league, the NBA announced today in a press release (Twitter link).
Primo was waived by San Antonio last October due to allegations that he had exposed himself to women, including a sports psychologist who was employed by the Spurs. That employee filed suit against Primo and the Spurs last fall and settled a few weeks later.
The NBA’s announcement on Primo on Friday said that the league conducted its own investigation into the allegations against the former lottery pick.
“Following that process, the league found that Primo engaged in inappropriate and offensive behavior by exposing himself to women,” the league’s statement reads. “Primo maintains that his conduct was not intentional, and the league did not find evidence that he engaged in any sexual or other misconduct apart from these brief exposures. Nevertheless, this behavior does not conform to league standards and warrants discipline.”
Primo, who appeared in four games at the start of last season before being cut, didn’t catch on with another team following his release from the Spurs. However, unlike when the NBA suspended Miles Bridges, the league didn’t announce a longer suspension and rule that it would be reduced based on “time served” — Primo’s ban is simply for four games. Unlike Bridges, Primo earned a salary last season after being cut by San Antonio.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), the NBA’s latest Collective Bargaining Agreement includes a new rule that allows players to serve their suspensions even when they’re not under contract with a team. That rule states that every one-and-a-half regular season games played by his most recent team is equivalent to one game served on the player’s suspension.
In this case, for example, three Spurs regular season games would count as two games toward Primo’s suspension. As such, even if Primo doesn’t sign a contract before the regular season begins, his suspension would be considered served after San Antonio’s sixth game of the season (on November 5) and he would be able to play immediately if he signed with any team after that point.
Under the previous CBA, Primo wouldn’t have been able to serve his four-game ban until he signed with a new team. As Marks explains (Twitter link), this rule change was made so that free agents facing multi-game suspensions wouldn’t be passed over indefinitely by NBA teams seeking players with immediate availability.
Primo, 20, was the 12th overall pick in the 2021 draft. He averaged 5.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 50 games (16 starts; 19.3 minutes per night) as a rookie, but struggled with efficiency, posting a .374/.307/.746 shooting slash line. He was the youngest player drafted in his class.
Maybe Udoka could sign him and act as a mentor.
Lmfao
Coach Pop did not teach him right
Perverts and wife beaters shouldn’t be in the league
But they can be POTUS?
Rent free
I agree 100%.
It’s a game of inches
lmao this seems very weak. And that statement is laughable.
I hope it was all stupid young man stuff. He’s got real talent. Be such a waste to throw it away now. Pay your dues……
At what age should you realize you don’t expose yourself to people like that? Dude is an adult he knew better.
No idea what the league was thinking here. This was an old story that they’ve now brought back into the spotlight with a laughably weak punishment. It’s almost too dumb to believe.
So, he exposed himself to multiple women. On multiple occasions. On accident. Okay, sure.
Fire silver
And. Nothing happens to Popovich. Typical
What does this have to do with pop? He’s just the coach. If anything the front office should be punished.
Pops can’t hold his pants up. He can buy him a belt ….
Why would anything happen to Pop??
He didn’t order Primo to expose himself. He wasn’t there when it happened. This wasn’t a cultural thing under Pop.
Why do you even expect Pop would get punished?
While it seems like Primo does have a legitimate mental health issue (not an excuse, but it does at least *explain* why he effed up like this), the Spurs should have sorted this crap out the first time it happened. The organization should have a fine for failing to do their jobs or protect their former employee, and should probably have to forfeit a second rounder for “conduct detrimental to the league” or some such. It’s one thing to have a player commit a crime, but another for the organization to not stop it after the first incident, especially since this whole debacle happened “in house” so to speak.
I don’t think it explains anything. Are therapists and psychologists having their patients exposing themselves to them all day? This is more Ben Simmons level stuff. There are certain things you do or choices you make that are 100% on you and mental health is irrelevant. It’s not an excuse to throw out and it is unfair to people struggling with issues each time people do this.
Just a rhetorical question…is this a peculiar perversion that only manifests in the male of the species? Or is it unreported among females? Or when a females commit this crime is it known by another name? Just asking for a female friend…
What a bad-faith question.
Ever been to the gym?
Would he find a new team? If yes, where do you see him going?
Yes, Toronto
Clippers said we will take that pervert
I’m getting kind of fed up with these trivial punishments.