The celebrated altercation involving Matt Barnes and Derek Fisher was something that many may have already moved on from, all except the NBA.
Though the fracas that took place back in October has somehow died down, the NBA has not completely forgotten it. Though their action on the whole thing came a bit late, the thing is that the league did their part on the matter before completely closing the case.
Matt Barnes of the Memphis Grizzlies was meted a two-game suspension for the physical altercation that took place last Oct. 3 at the home of Barnes’ ex-wife Gloria Govan.
Barnes will be serving the two-game suspension when the Grizzlies face the Miami Heat this Tuesday and the Utah Jazz on Saturday.
To recall, Barnes had received a text message and then communicated with them through FaceTime. The Grizzlies forward sensed something off and all that seemed to have been sparked all the more when one off the twins said to Matt that “Mommy’s friend Derek is here”.
Contrary to early reports that Barnes drove 95 miles to confront Fisher and Govan, the forward actually resided in Redondo Beach, California which is just 15 minutes away from Govan’s home.
"I can't believe people think I was some maniac driving 95 miles and listening to Tupac to go beat somebody up," Barnes said via a report from ESPN.
When Barnes arrived, the confrontation went from bad to worse, leading to a physical altercation.
A report from the NY Post bares that guests at that time witnessed the altercation and claimed that Barnes punched Fisher with a closed fist. Fisher retaliated, and this was where the scuffle ensued.
“Matt came after Derek, but he only had a few scratches,” one of the witnesses said at the time. “Derek’s not going to press charges; he’s going to let it go.”
Authorities did arrive at the scene but there were no charges filed.
For his part, Barnes says that they should have settled the issue as grown men via the LA Times. Barnes isn’t exactly known to be one of the nicest players on the court, as he is known more for his physical play and psyche war.
After playing together with the Los Angeles Lakers from 2010 to 2012, it will be interesting how the two will be when the Memphis Grizzlies and the New York Knicks face off.
The Grizzlies will host the Knicks on January 16, 2016 at the Fedex Forum in Memphis, an interesting game that will carry the off-court drama between the two.
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