PBA bans Renaldo Balkman

The PBA has banned Petron Blaze import Renaldo Balkman from the league after his meltdown last Friday against the Alaska Aces.

The league made the announcement Monday afternoon on its official Twitter account after commissioner Chito Salud met with the import in the morning.

Balkman was in the midst of his worst game of the tournament against the Aces, scoring just six points after averaging 28 in his first six matches. After being called for a foul late in the game, Balkman confronted all three game referees.

Petron coaches and players tried to calm Balkman down to no avail. The import got into a shoving match with Petron co-captain Arwind Santos, a scene that ended with Balkman grabbing at his teammate’s neck.

Balkman has since apologized publicly for his actions, and the Boosters joined him at the PBA office as a show of support.

But Salud did not seem to buy Balkman’s explanation. Apart from the ban, the PBA also meted a P250,000 fine on the former New York Knicks draft pick.

source