13 years ago today Latrell Sprewell shocked the basketball world when he got into an altercation with head coach PJ Carlesimo.
During practice Carlesimo yelled at Sprewell to make make “crisper passes.” Sprewell lost it and attacked his coach. He wrestled Carlesimo to the ground and choked him for approximately 15 seconds.
After being restrained by stunned onlookers, Sprewell left the Warriors practice facility, only to return 20 minutes later to take another swing at him. Teammates once again got in the way and prevented him from causing serious injury; Carlesimo walked away with a red scar on his throat.
“It was all about the respect factor with me,” Sprewell said. “It was all about P.J. disrespecting me as a man. You don’t talk to people the way that P.J. talked to me. To have my pride and my respect and my manhood means more than any dollar amount.”
A player had choked a coach, and whether it was because Sprewell was black and P.J. was white or because Sprewell was lashing out at an authority figure, everyone drew conclusions as to what it said about the NBA.
The Warriors banished Sprewell and commissioner David Stern banned the All-Star forward for one full year. The punishment was later reduced to 68 games, the remaining length of the regular season.
Sprewell was eventually traded to the New York Knicks, where he found success and was able to reshape his image. Carlesimo was fired in 1999 and didn’t get another coaching job until 2007, when he latched on with the Seattle SuperSonics.
However we remember both of their legacies for the infamous choking incident that occurred 13 years ago today.
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