Jimmy Butler has been suspended indefinitely by the Miami Heat after a “continued pattern of disregard of team rules”.
The six-time NBA All-Star, 35, had already been suspended twice by his team this month for disciplinary issues, ruling him out of nine matches.
The Heat said he walked out of a team practice on Friday and has now been suspended again without pay.
They said the suspension is “indefinite” but will “last no fewer than five games”.
“The suspension is due to a continued pattern of disregard of team rules, engaging in conduct detrimental to the team and intentionally withholding services,” a statement said.
Soon after the news emerged, Butler posted on Instagram with a clip from American TV show Martin, where the character jokes about being jobless.
Butler was first suspended at the start of January for what the Heat described as “multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team over the course of the season”.
Afterwards they said they would listen to trade offers for the forward.
He returned on 17 January and featured in matches on 18 and 19 January, only to miss a team flight the following week and be banned again for two matches.
He played 27 minutes against the Portland Trail Blazers following his second suspension last week.
In Butler’s absence, the Heat defeated the Orlando Magic 125-119 in double overtime on Monday night.
Tyler Herro hit 30 points and had a season-high 12 assists for the Heat while Bam Adebayo added 26 points – including six in the second extra period – and also had 10 rebounds and nine assists.
The game went to overtime after Herro and Magic’s Franz Wagner missed three-point attempts in the final seconds of regulation play.
In the first overtime, Miami trailed by six points before rallying in the final two minutes and Wagner again was unsuccessful from deep at the buzzer, leading to the second extra period.
Thompson guides Rockets to dramatic win
Elsewhere, Amen Thompson was the match-winner for the Houston Rockets with a late basket as they beat the Boston Celtics 114-112 despite trailing by 12 points (101-89) in the final quarter.
Thompson scored with 1.3 seconds left to finish with a career-high 33 points and he added nine rebounds and four assists to help Houston get a win on coach Ime Udoka’s return to Boston, where he was in charge during the 2021-22 season.
Payton Pritchard had a late effort to win the game for the Celtics, but his full-court effort at the buzzer could only hit the top of the backboard.
And Anthony Davis set season highs with 42 points and 23 rebounds to lead the visiting Los Angeles Lakers to a 112-107 success over the Charlotte Hornets.
Davis made 17 of 28 shots from the field and reached the 40-point mark for the third time this season. He grabbed eight offensive boards and finished three rebounds shy of matching his career high.
LeBron James had 22 points, seven rebounds and eight assists while Austin Reaves added 17 points for the Lakers, who have won four games in a row and six of their past seven.