Sacramento Kings forward Chimezie Metu was suspended one summer league game for throwing a punch during Sunday’s contest, the league announced on Monday.
Metu will be out for the Kings’ summer league championship game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday.
All it took was a wild dunk attempt and a hard foul to initiate the confrontation.
In the third quarter of that game, Metu attempted a dunk on Mavs rookie Eugene Omoruyi (or “tried to take Omoruyi’s soul,” as the announcer described it).
Instead of being put on a poster, Omoruyi responded with a hard foul and a shove sending Metu to the floor.
Metu’s response was to get up and throw a hard right hook at the Mavs rookie.
Mavs forward Eugene Omoruyi (flagrant 2) and Kings forward Chimezie Metu (punching foul) were both ejected after this play: pic.twitter.com/WGXSh8FUnP
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) August 15, 2021
After an official review of the incident, both players were ejected from the game.
Metu was ejected for the punch and Omoruyi for the flagrant 2 foul.
Both instances are automatic ejections under NBA rules.
Sacramento eventually won the game 86-70.
Omoruyi had only been playing in his fourth NBA game after signing a two-way contract with the Dallas Mavericks as an undrafted free agent.
As a senior with the Oregon Ducks, he averaged 17.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 37.6 percent from the three-point line.
Chimezie Metu is entering his fourth season and second with the Kings.
In 83 career regular-season games, Metu has averaged four points per game.