Miami 305 forfeited Saturday’s game to LA Riot after Michael Beasley and Lance Stephenson were ejected for separate physical altercations. The BIG3 league officially suspended both players for one game on Sunday to address the on-court incidents.
Beasley engaged in a physical altercation with Dwight Howard during the contest. Later in the same game, Stephenson was ejected for throwing punches. Because both players were tossed, head coach Michael Cooper was left without enough eligible players to finish the contest, forcing Miami 305 to forfeit the remainder of the game to the Riot.
The league issued a statement Sunday finalizing the disciplinary action. “Competition drives our league. We embrace physical play and welcome trash talk, however, fighting of any kind will not be tolerated.” To prevent consecutive forfeits for the 305 squad, the league opted to stagger the penalties.
Stephenson brought preexisting tension with Howard into the weekend, carrying over from previous matchups. By staggering the suspensions rather than enforcing them simultaneously, league officials explicitly adjusted their disciplinary application so Miami 305 can field a legal roster in upcoming games.