Tuesday, April 24th, 2012 at 8:15 pm  |  95 responses

Metta World Peace Suspended 7 Games for Elbowing James Harden in the Head


by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

As expected, the NBA came down hard on Metta World Peace for his elbow to the head of James Harden this past Sunday, which resulted in a concussion for the OKC Thunder’s star forward.

The League suspended MWP for seven games, without pay. He’ll begin serving the suspension on Thursday night, in the Los Angeles Lakers’ final regular season game.

Per the official press release:

The Lakers’ Metta World Peace has been suspended for seven games without pay for striking the Thunder’s James Harden in the head with his elbow, the NBA announced today. [...] “The concussion suffered by James Harden demonstrates the danger posed by violent acts of this kind, particularly when they are directed at the head area,” NBA Commissioner David Stern said. “We remain committed to taking necessary measures to protect the safety of NBA players, including the imposition of appropriate penalties for players with a history of on-court altercations.”

The suspension will begin with the Lakers’ next game at Sacramento on April 26. The remaining games of the suspension will be served over the next six games in which the player is eligible and physically able to play, including this season’s playoffs.

Considering the outrage expressed by everyone from fans, media and opponents, Metta World Peace’s punishment from the NBA is tough but fair. What he did was indefensible, and he’s lucky the League didn’t overreact and keep him off the court even longer.

As for James Harden, there’s no telling when he’ll play again. He’s currently listed as day-to-day, but appears to be in good spirits and his teammates seem to believe he’ll bounce back from the concussion, and be ready to go once the Playoffs start.

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  • Baron Davis’s Beard

    Lets go peace

  • http://Www.freeones.com Baron Davis’s Beard

    Sooon

  • FuManShoes

    Man, some of you cats are delusional. 1) Metta cold cocked Harden in the head with intent and full force and it doesn’t matter one iota if Harden was talking smack or got in his way. You pull that on the street and you’re looking at an assault charge. 2) Metta Hothead has already been suspended for 101 games in his career and is pretty much certifiably crazy. How much is enough? Playing in the League is no God-given right. What kind of screwed up life and perspective does this guy have that he continues to lose his shit year after year? Enough! Ban his ass right now or give him an ultimatum: out the the rest of the year and if he pulls this again, that’s it, he’s done.

  • Top$helf

    What a bunch of Laker loving idiots we have here

  • BRYANT BYNUM GASOL 24 17 16

    Screw you Riggs I’m shaking in my shoes right now

  • tonyknorr

    Why the hell is tonyknorr’s e-mail in my box WTF SLAM

  • BRYANT BYNUM GASOL 24 17 16

    Apoligies to Tonyknorr for posting as him. Slam this has happened multiple times to people so stop taking our e-mails if you will show them to everybody. Fu*k you SLAM

  • doyouwantmore

    It would be fair if the seven-game suspension starts the day that Harden plays his first game back after a full recovery.

  • Moj

    Man, people really are sleeping on the Spurs. Puzzling.

  • K.a.

    Sounds abt right. I felt like everybody was overreacting. Ron is still a goon n i hope harden is ok. Go spurs!

  • BRYANT BYNUM GASOL 24 17 16

    I keep saying it hardens a diver

  • BRYANT BYNUM GASOL 24 17 16

    Oooo maybe James harden and riggs will beat me up I’m hiding in my closet!!! Excuse me for speaking the truth

  • BRYANT BYNUM GASOL 24 17 16

    I also said this before harden has a foot fetish nuff said

  • AQWORD

    ^^^ more like Yo Mommas muff diver ^^^

  • EJ

    Lets hope LA faces OKC in the playoffs, that’d be awesome after this.

  • http://www.slamonline.com TADOne

    Should have been kicked out of the league.

  • westsideisthabestside

    harden walked in to him it was hardens fault 4 challengin artest

  • westsideisthabestside

    shaq never got suspended for throwin elbows

  • westsideisthabestside

    and that dunk over durant was badass

  • http://www.triplejunearthed.com/dacre Dacre

    I would have accepted it, if that was Metta’s last game in the NBA.

  • Mid Bear

    All suspensions should be for the time the injured player can’t play plus a few games.
    At least suspensions when the player obviously tried to hit the other player.

  • Yesse

    Saw that coming.

  • Dingo Rob

    I was hoping for 10

  • EJ

    Kicked out of the league?? 7 game suspension is just about right. Did he get fined, or can you even get fined for this?

  • Larry Johnson’s Gold Tooth

    i dont think 7 games are enough should have been out for the playoffs….he will do it again or something like it . It is only a matter of time with this dude.

  • lakernation

    I was spot on in my previous post about the suspension…. First round of the playoffs is what I expected and well deserved for the elbow. Just enough time for the Lakers to win the first round and make it back to OKC for the 2 vs. 3 second round series. If both teams make it out of the first round this is going to be good for TV. Great way to welcome back MWP! LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

  • KBthaKilla

    Lol all these LA fans mad because Harden HOOPS on ‘em every time!

  • ALD

    For these Spurs fans… you’d think you’d know by now that season records vs another team mean squat once the playoffs come. The Spurs, just like last year, will be exposed by Memphis in the second round. They are younger, a year more experienced and hungrier. Book it!

  • Ivelisse

    Metta World Peace needs to change his name again cause there’s nothing peaceful about him. He’s a basketball player not a wrestler

  • bike

    Pathetic. NBA blew it. Artest has impulse control issues. He’s most dangerous when he is playing well and aggressive. He will blow this off, won’t mean a thing to him, and it will happen again.

  • Dennis Reyes

    its fair..but i want to see metta world peace be elbowed in the head by some1 bigger than him..shaq maybe?..hahah hopin to see lakers GET a ZERO again this play-offs..especially from OKC..

  • @boweezy24

    Should Of Fined Him Nig Bucks and Suspend Him 3 Games. Sounds Good. MWP Will Be Back! Elbow Some1 Else Too. :)

  • @boweezy24

    Should Of Fined Him Big ** Bucks and Suspend Him 3 Games. Sounds Good. MWP Will Be Back! Elbow Some1 Else Too. :)

  • ClydeSays

    Well, he gets over 300k of salary subtracted for those games, so that’s a decent fine.

    For the dudes saying the NBA is soft, this was not a play for the ball. If Ron had possession & Harden was going for the ball, then all bets are off. But to do that kind of isht when the ball is out of bounds & no one has possession, is just nuts.

  • dee

    Laker fan 4 life but MWP got off easy…with his history, I could’ve seen Stern suspend him for the playoffs. Maybe it was the fact that MWP has shown improvment with his behavior, afterall he is the reigning NBA citzen of the year. Maybe Hardin admitted that he attempted to draw a tech from MWP after he dunked the ball b/c he shown nuff walked right into MWP before he was knocked out. You see NBA players swinging their elbows very reckless after rebounds and I guess those players are lucky no one got hurt yet…Remember Shaq taking a swing and missing the back of the head of Greg Foster?(playoff series agaist Utah) If he would’ve connected, it would’ve seriously hurt dude possibly ending his career…That swing had more intent than that elbow did. MWP should’ve held a press conference to apologize to Hardin, his family, the Lakers as well as his family. What if Hardin career is over b/c of this? Sure basketball is not football but you never know how a blow to the head will affect someone long term…MWP was probably playing his best basketball since his allstar year, he shed the weight and he’s someone you have to pay attention to…now for all the work he’s put in rebuilding his image, he now has to work even harder now to stay in the league.

  • BRYANT BYNUM GASOL 24 17 16

    WTF AQWORD

  • BRYANT BYNUM GASOL 24 17 16

    It was an accident Stern is trying to screw with the Lakers again and harden can go lick Adam silver’s feet

  • BRYANT BYNUM GASOL 24 17 16

    It was an accident!!!! Harden sucks

  • http://slamonline.com The Philosopher

    They can’t suspend him for too long.
    He’ll be a target. Players will try to goad him to lose his mind, so when he goes off, he’ll lose like, a million games.
    I think(not that it matters) that justice was done.

  • http://slamonline.com The Philosopher

    Oh, and I’m a Laker for life.

  • DreDay

    It’s been made clear to me that ALL/MOST LAKER fans are idiots. My girl is a Laker fan and she’s not wrapped too tight. haha
    How in the hell can you justify what this nut job (MWP/RonRon) did? I get the sarcasm but good grief that shit is getting old. 7 games is cool with me. The Lakers probably won’t make it out the first round anyhow.
    GO BULLS!!

  • DreDay

    Harden was killing the Lake Show ALL year anyway. lol
    Them LA Boys ALWAYS come home and kill the Lakers. I LOVE IT!!!

  • alex80

    Expensive stupidity

  • http://kabjsdf.com.uk 21stLuckies

    I think 7 games is not much,I think he desrves more suspended games….

  • http://kabjsdf.com.uk 21stLuckies

    world peace is not a name that he deserves,he deserves the name Metta World Wreckliest Wrestler

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