Golden State Warriors guard Shaun Livingston and NBA referee Courtney Kirkland will be suspended one game and until Dec. 10, respectively, after their altercation Sunday.
Golden State Warriors guard Shaun Livingston and NBA referee Courtney Kirkland were both reprimanded by the league for their exchange Sunday night. The two individuals will be suspended; Livingston one game and Kirkland until Dec. 10 after bumping heads with each other in a Sunday night game featuring the Warriors and the Miami Heat. Below, is a video of the exchange between the two.
Shaun Livingston and referee Courtney Kirkland got in each other's faces before Livingston received his first career ejection. pic.twitter.com/yk7KYoeL5p
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) December 4, 2017
Livingston and the Kirkland started the exchange after Livingston began arguing about a non-call. While approaching, Kirkland drew in closer, talking back to Livingston then bumping heads with him.
https://twitter.com/JuiceSoHeavy/status/937496132565028865
While Livingston was assessed a technical foul, it appears that the league after further reviewing the incident, has concluded that Kirkland wasn’t innocent in this matter.
Shaun Livingston has been suspended for a game, and referee Courtney Kirkland has been taken out of the ref rotation for a week, after bumping heads yesterday. pic.twitter.com/OJ3hCdGdSy
— Kevin Chouinard (@KLChouinard) December 4, 2017
Rarely does a referee gets involved physically with another player, but it seems that the NBA is cracking down on bad behavior; regardless of who it is. An NBA referee on a week-long suspension shows the NBA felt he was at fault. Referees are to officiate the game, not to let their pride and ego get in the way.
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But on another note, the frequency of Warrior players getting ejected/technicals and now suspensions could be concerning. Durant has been ejected three times, Curry once, Draymond, too. Now with Livingston getting into it with a ref, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to say the Warriors are behaving with an edge. Is it because the league is formulating teams to catch up to them? The pressure to win three NBA titles in four years? Exhaustion? Playing the villain role? It’s yet to be determined. But, if Livingston and company don’t assess their actions, it could end up costing them in the end.