Former NBA First-Round Pick Darius Bazley Melts Down In China, Shoves Teammate & Gets Cut Immediately
Seven years after going 23rd overall, Darius Bazley’s stint in China ends with a pretty embarrassing exit. Tough scene.
Draymond Green might be the NBA’s undisputed king of technicals, but former Laker Darius Bazley just reminded everyone there are levels to crashing out.
Bazley — a former first-round pick who skipped college for a $1 million New Balance internship — most recently found himself suiting up for the Ningbo Rockets in China. After a full-blown on-court meltdown during a blowout loss to the Shanghai Sharks, he’s now looking for his next gig.
It started when Shanghai’s Zhang Zhenlin picked off an inbound pass, and instead of getting back on defense, Bazley got into a screaming match with teammate Zavier Simpson and, in a peak petty move, intentionally fired the ball out of bounds.
Former Los Angeles Laker Darius Bazley. (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
From there, it got worse. As teammates tried to calm things down, Bazley shoved one of them off and spent the rest of his minutes barking at his own coaching staff until they finally had enough and pulled him.
WATCH:
The Ningbo Rockets didn’t bother with damage control and cut him immediately, citing a "serious violation of professional ethics."
Diva behavior apparently doesn't work overseas. And sadly, Bazley wasn’t nearly good enough to justify any of it. He averaged just 4.9 points and 3.8 rebounds in 12 games.
Seven years after going 23rd overall, Bazley’s stint in China ends with a pretty embarrassing exit. Tough scene.
Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela