Former NBA Player Renaldo Balkman Chokes Philippine League Teammate [Video]
Renaldo Balkman choked, but not in the usual way the term is associated with team sports.
Balkman, who used to play in the NBA, now is a forward for the Petron Blaze Boosters of the Philippine Basketball Association. In the waning seconds of a loss in the PBA Commissioners Cup to the Alaska Aces, Balkman got really ticked about a non-call by one of the referees. He argued with all three refs (making contact with one of them), got hit with a technical foul, and then pushed and shoved assistant coaches and teammates who were trying to calm him down.
But then it Balkman went into full meltdown mode. He pushed teammate Arwind Santos, Santos pushed back, and then Balkman put his hands around Santos’ throat. “He’s strangling Arwind Santos — unbelievable,” one of the announcers shouted. Several players then restrained Balkman. Some guy in a denim shirt, possibly a friend, even came out of the stands to try to calm him down.
In the the immediate aftermath of the game and the on-court melee, the former New York Knick and Denver Nugget was apparently more contrite:
“Balkman reportedly emerged from Petron’s locker room looking sober, and supposedly apologized to his teammates for his stunning outburst. Not surprisingly, he has been summoned to appear at the Commissioner’s office on Monday.”
Renaldo Balkman finished the game with an uninspiring six points on 3-16 shooting from the field.
Balkman was the New York Knicks first-round pick (20th overall) in 2006. He played for the Knicks in 2006-2008 and 2011-2012. In between, he was a member of the Denver Nuggets. The Knicks released him in February 2012 to make room on the roster for J.R. Smith.
That Balkman had to find a job overseas wasn’t all that surprising because “there is only so much room for 27-year-old wing players with unrefined games after all, and Balkman showed little to no development over the course of his six-year NBA career.”
Perhaps concerned about getting kicked out the league, Balkman didn’t “balk” about issuing a series of apologetic Tweets after the game:
I wld like to apologize to the fans, Petron Blaze, my teammates, the PBA and especially @tubidronald71 and @arwind029
— Renaldo Balkman (@R_Balkman32) March 8, 2013
I got caught up in the moment of a very intense game.I respect @arwind029 as a person player.I am proud to be part of@petronblaze fam.
— Renaldo Balkman (@R_Balkman32) March 8, 2013
Watch Renaldo Balkman go berserk and choke another player:
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