Ex-Spurs guard Joshua Primo suspended 4 games for detrimental conduct after indecent exposure allegations
Joshua Primo is expected to sign a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Clippers
The NBA suspended former San Antonio Spurs guard Joshua Primo for four games without pay for conduct detrimental to the league, the league announced Friday.
Primo was released from the Spurs last year after he allegedly exposed himself to women multiple times. The league launched an investigation, and said “Primo engaged in inappropriate and offensive behavior” by exposing himself to women.
“Primo maintains that his conduct was not intentional, and the league did not find evidence that he engaged in any sexual or other misconduct apart from these brief exposures,” the league said in a statement. “Nevertheless, this behavior does not conform to league standards and warrants discipline.”
A former team psychologist filed a lawsuit against Primo and the Spurs last year alleging Primo exposed himself to her nine times. She said she lost her “dream job” because the Spurs “ignored her repeated reports of indecent exposure.” That lawsuit has since been settled.
The Spurs released Primo in October, and he hasn’t played in the NBA since. Primo said after he was released that he was seeking mental health treatment to address past traumas.
“I've been seeking help to deal with previous trauma I suffered and will now take this time to focus on my mental health treatment more fully,” he said. “I hope to be able to discuss these issues in the future so I can help others who have suffered in a similar way. I appreciate privacy at this time."
Primo was selected by the Spurs with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Alabama. The 20-year-old averaged 5.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 54 games in San Antonio.
Primo is expected to sign a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Clippers, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. When he returns to an active roster, his suspension will officially begin. Primo, per the report, underwent an evaluation with specialists who consulted with the Clippers before the deal was made. The team "is comfortable" giving Primo the contract despite what happened in San Antonio.
“We took many steps to make sure that we could feel very confident that we will be able to create a safe and comfortable workplace,” Clippers president Lawrence Frank said, via The Los Angeles Times' Andrew Greif.
“We’ve spent a great deal of time for the last several months with Josh. We’ve had specialists who we consult with who’ve evaluated Josh, and the reason why we’re moving forward is, based on their confidence level after the evaluations and what he’s doing currently, they feel he can be a positive contributor to the organization moving forward.”
