2024-04-13 22:45:00
After playing in two games during the 2023-24 NBA season, guard Josh Primo has been released by the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Clippers announced Primo’s release on Saturday, the day before Los Angeles will wrap up its regular-season schedule at 2:30 p.m. CDT with a home game against the Houston Rockets. As the No. 4 seed in the NBA’s Western Conference, the Clippers will face the Dallas Mavericks in a first-round series.
Citing Primo’s agent, ESPN reported Primo had sustained a stress fracture in the navicular bone of his left ankle and would not be able to play again until this summer.
Primo played on Dec. 16 and March 1 with the Clippers, totaling two points and one rebound during 10 minutes on the court.
Primo spent most of the season with the Ontario Clippers, Los Angeles’ affiliate in the NBA G League. In 35 games, Primo averaged 16.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.1 steals for Ontario.
Primo entered the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs as the 12th selection in the 2021 draft after his lone season at Alabama. But the Spurs released Primo four games into his second season, and he was out of basketball until signing a two-way contract with Los Angeles on Sept. 29.
The San Antonio Spurs stunned the NBA when they waived Primo on Oct. 28, 2022, without providing a reason.
In November 2022, lawsuits were filed against Primo and the Spurs. In announcing the lawsuits, Houston attorney Tony Buzbee alleged Primo had exposed himself to Dr. Hillary Cauthen on multiple occasions when she worked for San Antonio. When Cauthen brought the matter to the attention of the NBA team’s management, she was assured it would be addressed, Buzbee said, but instead she was marginalized and, ultimately, lost her position as a consulting psychologist with the Spurs.
Cauthen said because San Antonio’s management failed to address the matter, other women had to endure what she did.
The lawsuits were resolved without going to court about two weeks after they were filed.
On the same day that Primo signed with the Clippers, the NBA announced it had suspended the guard for four games.
“The league conducted its own investigation and consulted with relevant experts,” the NBA said in a press release. “Following the process, the league found that 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.
“Nevertheless, this behavior does not conform to league standards and warrants discipline.”
On Dec. 8, 2023, The Bexar County (Texas) District Attorney’s Office announced the end of its criminal investigation of Primo and said would not charge Primo with indecent exposure due to insufficient evidence.
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
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