Charlotte Hornets' third-year shooting guard Malik Monk has reportedly violated the NBA's anti-drug program, resulting in an indefinite suspension without pay. Although the NBA announced the suspension was due to an anti-drug violation, they did not specify exactly what Monk took to warrant the ban.
The league's statement simply reads:
"The NBA announced today that Malik Monk of the Charlotte Hornets has been suspended without pay for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program.
Monk’s suspension will begin with tonight’s game between the Hornets and the New York Knicks, and will continue until he is determined to be in full compliance with the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program."
Michael Reaves/Getty Images
According to ESPN's Bobby Marks, if the suspension last for the final 25 games of the season, Monk stands to miss out on roughly $915,000.
The 21-year old guard is averaging 10.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists in a little over 21 minutes of action per game, all of which rank as career highs. The Hornets selected Monk out of Kentucky with the 11th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, and they'll be right back in the lottery once this season comes to a close.
Heading into tonight's game against the New York Knicks, Charlotte's record stands at 19-38, which is seventh worst in the league.
NBA & Louis Vuitton Unveil Larry O’Brien Trophy Travel Case: Photos
Victory travels in Louis V.
Yesterday (Jan. 22), the National Basketball Association (NBA) and world-renowned French fashion house, Louis Vuitton, announced a multiyear global partnership, making the luxury retail company the official traveling case creators for the league’s historic Larry O’Brien Trophy. Louis Vuitton’s new-found alliance with the NBA marks its first and only partnership with a professional North American sports league.
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
The traveling case set to house the 2019-20 Larry O’Brien Trophy was handcrafted in Louis Vuitton’s Asnières workshop outside of Paris. The standing trunk is dressed in premium, chocolate leather and coated in the fashion house’s coveted emblematic “LV” monogram canvas. Two horizontal white stripes trimmed in blue and red accents meet at the seam of the trunk as polished brass fixtures and a royal blue velvet interior lining close out the trophy trunk.
In a statement about their latest endeavor with the National Basketball Association, Louis Vuitton’s Chairman/CEO, Michael Burke, had this to say:
“Louis Vuitton and the NBA are both icons and leaders in their respective fields, and the joining of the two promises exciting and surprising moments, forging historic memories together.” Burke continued, “Louis Vuitton has long been associated with the world’s most coveted trophies, and with this iconic partnership the legacy continues – victory does indeed travel in Louis Vuitton!”
With Adam Silver and the NBA consistently expanding their international operations, an NBA x Louis Vuitton collaboration is a perfectly-executed sacrament that both parties will benefit from.
With both entities widely known for producing an elite product in their respective industries, we can expect more coming from the joint venture including future capsule collections, attire, and accessories designed by Virgil Abloh available for the public to consume.
NBA/Mark Pozin
