Jason Kidd suspended one game for slapping ball out of referee’s hands
Bucks head coach Jason Kidd has been disciplined by the NBA for doing his best Rick James-on-Charlie Murphy impression to a ball in referee Zach Zarba’s hands on Wednesday night.
Kidd had been frustrated with the officiating all night and after a non-call on a Giannis Antetokounmpo drive late in the fourth quarter of the 129-118 loss to the Sacramento Kings, he smacked the ball out of Zarba’s hands heading into a timeout and was ejected (video here).
The NBA announced a one-game suspension for Kidd on Friday for “aggressively pursuing and confronting a referee, slapping the ball out of his hands, and not leaving the court in a timely manner upon his ejection” (per Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports). He will serve the punishment during the Bucks’ matchup against the Orlando Magic tonight.
NBA statement on Jason Kidd suspension. pic.twitter.com/bkqlxJ0uyy
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) November 27, 2015
Brian Windhorst of ESPN reports that assistant Joe Prunty will coach the team in Kidd’s place on Friday.
Joe Prunty will coach the Bucks in place of Jason Kidd tonight. Previously took over for Kidd in Brooklyn when he was suspended.
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) November 27, 2015
The 6-9 Bucks currently have the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference, and hopefully the jolt that Kidd’s outburst gives the team will be worth the price of the suspension.
