Golden State Warriors guard Monta Ellis was suspended for 30 games without pay for violating terms of his contract, the team announced Saturday, reported dpa.
In July, Ellis signed a six-year, 66-million-dollar contract but underwent successful left ankle surgery following a moped accident a month later, which is expected to keep him sidelined until mid- December.
At the time of the accident, the 22-year-old Ellis originally told team officials that he injured the ankle in a pickup basketball game, before finally telling the truth.
According to paragraph 12 of the uniform player contract: "The player agrees that he will not, without the written consent of the team, engage in any activity that a reasonable person would recognize as involving or exposing the participant to a substantial risk of bodily injury including, but not limited to ... driving or riding on a motorcycle or moped."
"The cooperation that we received from Jeff Fried (Ellis' representative) enabled us to be very diligent in collecting all of the facts surrounding the incident," Warrior President Robert Rowell said in a statement on the team's website.
"This 30-game suspension is a result of that. From this point forward, it is the complete focus of everyone involved to provide Monta with all the support he needs to have a successful rehabilitation and to get him back on the court as an integral part of this team."
The fourth-year guard, who averaged a career-best 20.2 points in 81 games last season with the Warriors, will be eligible to return to the team following the December 17 contest against Indiana.