Metta World Peace Suspended Seven Games for Elbow

Grant Belcher, News9.com

LOS ANGELES – Lakers forward Metta World Peace has been suspended seven games by the league for his elbow to the head of James Harden on Sunday.

World Peace was ejected from the game for the blow.

NBA Commissioner David Stern gave the following explanation in a statement released on Tuesday:

"The concussion suffered by James Harden demonstrates the danger posed by violent acts of this kind, particularly when they are directed at the head area. We remain committed to taking necessary measures to protect the safety of NBA players, including the imposition of appropriate penalties for players with a history of on-court altercations."


The Lakers released the following statement regarding World Peace's suspension:

"Metta has for the most part been a model citizen both on and off the court since joining the Lakers. Still, his most recent lapse in judgement is not to be condoned or accepted. His actions could have seriously injured another player, and his absence during this suspension will hurt our team as well. While we accept the league's decision, we will be supportive of Metta and try to help him be more professional on the court."



The suspension is without pay and World Peace will lose out on close to $350,000 in salary during that period.

Harden was diagnosed with a concussion and is not available for the Thunder's Tuesday night matchup with the Kings.

Harden is listed as day-to-day and will undergo further mandatory evaluations before being cleared by the league.

The Lakers have one regular season game remaining on Thursday before World Peace's suspension will spill over into the first round of the playoffs.

News9.com will update this story as more details become available.