PHOENIX SUNS
Report: Suns’ Bledsoe fined $10,000 for ‘I Dont wanna be here’ tweet
Nov 5, 2017, 1:41 PM | Updated: 1:44 pm
Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe (2) drives on Charlotte Hornets forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in the fourth quarter during an NBA basketball game, Thursday, March 2, 2017, in Phoenix. Phoenix defeated Charlotte 120-103. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
The NBA has fined Eric Bledsoe $10,000 for his “I Dont wanna be here” tweet on Oct. 22 that the Phoenix Suns — and the league, it turns out — believed was a public trade request, reports The Vertical’s Shams Charania.
Suns general manager Ryan McDonough said afterward that Bledsoe told him the tweet was regarding wanting to leave a hair salon and he did not “believe that to be true.”
Charania reports Bledsoe is appealing the ruling.
The fine is in line with the same $10,000 figure that former Suns forward Markieff Morris was docked in Sept. 8, 2015, for tweeting “my future is not in Phoenix.” Morris tweeted his displeasure after the Suns traded his twin brother Marcus Morris in the offseason.
The NBA ruled that tweet as a violation because it was a “public statement detrimental to the NBA.”
While Bledsoe will not be suiting up for the Suns as they continue searching for a trade involving the disgruntled point guard, he will return to the team’s facility to stay in shape as he awaits a deal. Returning to the team’s facilities means he will also begin working with the Suns staff, Charania’s sources added.
Bledsoe averaged 15.7 points, 3.0 assists and 2.3 rebounds in three appearances for the Suns this season. His tweet that earned him a fine came hours before Phoenix fired head coach Earl Watson on Oct. 22.
The Suns sent Bledsoe home after meeting with him the next day.
“This is a reset. This is a turning of the page,” McDonough said, explaining further why Bledsoe was sent home. “As we try to change the culture and build a foundation that’s sustainable for long-term success, we didn’t want him to be a distraction.”
