Deandre Ayton was the number one overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Now, he’s facing an uncertain future.
Indeed, Ayton has been suspended 25 games by the league for testing positive for a diuretic substance. While Ayton says he will appeal, this news was broke by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Deandre Ayton statement: “I want to apologize to my family, the entire Suns organization, my teammates, partners, our fans and the Phoenix community. This was an unintentional mistake and unfortunately I put something in my body that I was completely unaware of…" (Continued)
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 25, 2019
More Ayton: “I do understand the unfortunate impact that this has on so many others, and for that I am deeply sorry. I’m extremely disappointed that I’ve let my team down. I will continue to work with the NBPA to go through arbitration and am hopeful of a positive resolution.” https://t.co/LShm244MnD
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 25, 2019
Then, Ayton issued a statement.
“I want to apologize to my family, the entire Suns organization, my teammates, partners, our fans and the Phoenix community. This was an unintentional mistake and unfortunately I put something in my body that I was completely unaware of.”
Therefore, did Ayton really not know as a professional athlete exactly what was going in his body? Obviously we will never know. Still, this isn’t the first time you have heard an athlete speak this way instead of just owning up to wrongdoing.
Ayton had more to say, per Woj:
“I do understand the unfortunate impact that this has on so many others, and for that I am deeply sorry. I’m extremely disappointed that I’ve let my team down. I will continue to work with the NBPA to go through arbitration and am hopeful of a positive resolution.”
Without question, the timing is terrible for all involved as Ayton states. For example, he stands to lose over two million dollars in earnings if the suspension holds up. What’s more, the Suns got off to a 1-0 start largely due to Ayton’s 18 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots. He creates a hole in their lineup to where you can’t just plug in a tall guy with that athleticism to fill what he provides.
Finally, the Suns general manager James Jones issued a statement in response to the incident.
“On behalf of the Phoenix Suns organization, (coach) Monty Williams and I are disappointed in the actions by Deandre Ayton that led to his testing positive for a banned diuretic and subsequent suspension by the NBA. This does not uphold the standards and principles we have set for the team,”
In closing, this is bad news for a Suns team who is looking to solidify their core if nothing else early on in the NBA season. If you’re a fan of the sport or elite talent, you have to hope Ayton is either innocent or learns from his mistake. He has a lot of basketball to play both this season and in his long career ahead.
