'He threw a water bottle and spit at an official': Lightning guard released after on-court tirade

Chris Jones of the London Lightning has been suspended for the rest of the regular season by NBL Canada, and released by the organization following an on-court tirade in Sudbury, Ont. on Thursday April 14, 2022. (Source: London Lighting/Twitter)

An on-court tirade by London Lightning guard Chris Jones – where he allegedly spit an official- has resulted in a six-game suspension by NBL Canada and his release by the team.

“Unfortunately emotions got the best of Chris in that situation last night,” says Doug Plumb, the Lightning’s head coach.

According to the league, Jones received a pair of technical fouls in the third quarter in Sudbury, and the game report states he threw a water bottle on the court and spit at an official.

“He was banging on the stanchion which was the first technical foul, but didn’t calm down,” says Audley Stephenson, the vice-president of basketball operations for NBL Canada.

“He got a second technical foul and that followed by him getting further out of control with his demeanor, profanity, threw a water bottle and spit at an official. We are very proud of our play on the floor this year, and that is not becoming of what we want to emulate. It was a combination of a number of factors that led to the suspension for the rest of the regular season”.

The 30-year old guard from Memphis,Tenn. was averaging 15.9 points per game for the Lightning in 17 games this season after playing for the Windsor Express in 2019-2020.

The Lightning released Jones, who was scheduled to be at the NBL’s first all-star weekend in New York this weekend.

“His actions forced our hand to do something,’ says Plumb.

“The way he reacted is just not in line with we want to be known as an organization or League. We've got a lot of people behind the scenes trying to get this thing up and rolling again, and I think there has been a lot of good stuff so far. Unfortunately with one incident like that, it can all come down. Sometimes you have to send a message that it’s just not going to be tolerated.”

The Lighting will find a replacement for Jones before their next game on April 22 against the Express.