Allein Maliksi was suspended and fined for an endgame altercation during PBA Governors Cup game 2023

Allein Maliksi and Barkley Ebona were engaged in a dramatic brawl during the last six seconds of the PBA Governors Cup game between Meralco and Converged at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Maliksi was obliged to foul to stop the game clock, and Ebona tackled him hard, something the Meralco shooting forward did not like.

Maliksi ran towards Ebona and grabbed him by the neck as players and officials sought to keep the situation from developing further. Consequently, Maliksi was dismissed from the game after receiving a flagrant foul penalty, two infractions, and a P5K fine. In contrast, Ebona received a flagrant foul penalty, one offense, and a P5K fine.

On Saturday, Deputy Commissioner Eric Castro called the two to the PBA headquarters to hear their arguments before imposing the penalties and suspension. Allein Maliksi was eventually suspended for one game and fined P75k for his part in the brawl by the PBA. Ebona, on the other hand, was cautioned that a similar act would result in a harsher sentence. Because of the ban, Maliksi cannot participate in Meralco’s game against Phoenix on Sunday, which may influence the team’s performance. Yet, the PBA’s decision conveys that it will not accept such behavior in professional basketball and that players must be held responsible for their acts on the court.

The statement expressed concern over an incident in which another player endangered a player. It slammed Maliksi’s claims that Eboa purposefully hurt him and Meralco import KJ McDaniels during the game. According to the statement, the FiberXers always played fairly and with excellent sportsmanship

“We are concerned about the recent event in which one of our players was put at risk by another player. Also, we strongly disagree with Maliksi’s claims that Eboa purposefully hurt him and that Meralco imported KJ McDaniels during the game. We wish to underline that FiberXers have always followed the rules and shown excellent sportsmanship, as seen by our previous games, regardless of the result, According to the statement.