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NBA Suspends Timberwolves’ Guard Malik Beasley After Felony Guilty Plea

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - FEBRUARY 08: Malik Beasley #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves reacts to a call against the Los Angeles Clippers during the game at Target Center on February 8, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

The NBA has suspended Minnesota Timberwolves guard Malik Beasley after his recent guilty plea to a felony charge for threats of violence.

The league announced on Thursday that Beasley has been suspended for 12 games without pay. The suspension began with Saturday’s game against the Washington Wizards. Beasley will be eligible to return on March 27 against the Houston Rockets.

The guard was in the midst of his fifth season in the league and enjoying a career-best 20.5 points.

Earlier this month, the guard was sentenced to 120 days in jail for a September 26 incident. On September 26, the guard pointed a rifle at a family from his home in suburban Minneapolis while the family was on a house-hunting tour. Police later found marijuana in his home along with various weapons.

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The 24-year-old took a plea deal for the charge. As part of Beasley’s plea deal, prosecutors dropped a felony fifth-degree drug possession charge. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office allowed the 24-year-old to serve his stay in his workhouse after the NBA season was over. Due to COVID-19 precautions, the Timberwolves’ guard could be released on electronic home monitoring for the duration of the sentence.

During the remote sentencing, the young guard said, “I am not that person. I humbly apologize for my actions.”

Gersson Rosas, the Timberwolves president of basketball operations, released a statement supporting the league’s decision to suspend Beasley. Rosas wrote in the statement, “As we work together with Malik to advance his development as a player and a person, we look forward to seeing his growth.”