Minnesota Timberwolves guard Malik Beasley will be suspended for 12 games by the NBA after pleading guilty to a felony charge of threats of violence for angrily aiming a rifle at a couple and their teenage daughter in an SUV last September.
Beasley, 24, said in a statement on Instagram that he will take time to reflect on his decisions.
“I apologize to all the great fans out there who have supported me during this difficult time and I promise I will come back very soon as a better person and player,” Beasley said.
On Feb. 9, Beasley was sentenced to 120 days in the Hennepin County Workhouse on work release or home monitoring.
The Timberwolves also released a brief statement after Beasley’s suspension was announced by the NBA.
Beasley will serve the 120 days after the NBA season is over. A local judge also sentenced Beasley to three years on probation that includes no alcohol or illicit drug use and a lifetime ban on possessing firearms.
Beasley is having a breakout year in his first season with the Timberwolves, pushing him in the conversation for the Most Improved Player of the Year award. He’s averaging 20.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists on 40.6 percent shooting from three-point range. The Florida State product was drafted with the No. 19 pick in the 2016 draft by the Nuggets before he was traded last February and signed a four-year, $60 million deal with Minnesota during the offseason.
