TNT import Johnson banned from PBA for ‘utter disrespect’

TNT Import Ivan Johnson. PBA IMAGES

For his actions in TNT’s game against Meralco Saturday, import Ivan Johnson has been banned from playing in the Philippine Basketball Association.

He was also slapped with a P250,000 fine by the PBA Commmissioner’s Office.

The sanctions were for “addressing the Commissioner with profanities and showing utter disrespect for authority,” according to the statement from the league released before the Bolts-Texters game ended.

Johnson, who was coming off a one-game suspension, was thrown out in the second quarter after incurring a flagrant foul penalty one. Earlier, he had been slapped with a technical foul.

The problematic import reportedly hurled expletives towards PBA Commissioner Narvasa, who went inside the playing court, after his ejection.

He also bumped a fan on his way to the Texters’ dugout.

Before the conference even started, Johnson had been involved in a brawl in a tune-up match between TNT and Blackwater which got him a P50,000 fine and the one-game ban.

Renaldo Balkman was the last import to be banned for life from the PBA after he choked teammate Arwind Santos when he was still playing with the Petron Blaze Boosters in 2013. With reports from Bong Lozada