Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Emoni Bates has been one of the premier players in the NBA G League in his first professional season.
The 19-year-old is averaging 24.6 points per game for the Cleveland Charge, which ranks tied for seventh in the league. He also ranks top-10 in the NBA G League in both three-pointers made (4.8, third) and attempted (11.2, second) per game, and is shooting 42.9% from deep.
However, an incident after his most recent contest will keep him off the floor for a brief period of time.
On Monday, the NBA G League announced that both Bates and Charge teammate Gabe Osabuohien have been suspended for two games.
The league’s official release says that the two players “have each been suspended for two games without pay for entering the spectator stands.”
On the broadcast of Cleveland’s game against Birmingham this past Saturday night, it appears that Bates was walking towards the crowd at the end of the contest. Eventually, a member of the Charge’s coaching staff escorts Osabuohien to the other side of the floor, where both players then enter the handshake line.
However, what, if anything, that happens in the crowd involving the two players is unable to be seen.
Bates was the 49th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft by Cleveland following a collegiate career at both Eastern Michigan and Memphis. He has appeared in 10 games for the Cavaliers so far this season, totaling 18 points, 10 rebounds, and five three-pointers made.
Osabuohien was undrafted following a collegiate career at both West Virginia and Arkansas. He is in his second season with the Charge, appearing in a combined 38 games (nine starts) and averaging 3.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game.
More must-reads: