The NBA has fined the Cleveland Cavaliers $250,000 for sitting Darius Garland for the team’s Nov. 24 nationally televised game against the Toronto Raptors, the league announced Thursday. Garland did play the previous day in a non-nationally televised game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
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The game the Cavaliers are being punished for was a Peacock exclusive, which resulted in a 110-99 defeat to the Raptors.
Sitting Garland violated the NBA’s Player Participation Policy, which was enacted ahead of the 2023-24 season. According to the policy, “star players” — those how have made an All-NBA Team or an NBA All-Star team in the previous three seasons — must be available for nationally televised games unless an approved reason is given to the league.
The policy also states that, without reason, no more than one “star player” can miss the same game; “star players” must be available for nationally televised regular season and NBA Cup games; a balance must be made between the number of home and road games a “star player” missed; ensure if a player is being rested, they are available to fans.
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Garland underwent toe surgery in June and only returned to the Cavaliers’ lineup in early November. He has not played both sides of any of Cleveland’s three back-to-back games since getting back on the court.
