UNC Basketball: Ty Lawson banned from Chinese Basketball Association

Former UNC basketball standout Ty Lawson has been banned from the Chinese Basketball Association for life.

Ty Lawson is widely considered to be one of the top two point guards in North Carolina basketball history. But at just 32 years of age, the former Tar Heel may have played his final game on a professional basketball court.

On Saturday, Lawson was banned for life from the Chinese Basketball Association according to a tweet from Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia. The lifetime ban stems from public posts that Lawson made on his Instagram account on Friday night where he appears to be at a strip club. The CBA deemed the content of his posts to be disrespectful and insensitive, resulting in his permanent separation from the league.

Shortly after the announcement of Lawson’s ban from the CBA, his former club, the Fujian Sturgeons, released a statement regarding his future with the team.

"“His inappropriate words are inconsistent with the social responsibilities and values abided by our club and have brought serious adverse social impacts to the club and the league. We will not sign him for the new season.”"

Lawson’s contract with the Sturgeons terminated at the completion of the 2019-20 season, but the organization had the ability to extend the contract. Given his level of play last season — and since joining the league in 2017 — there’s little doubt that the Sturgeons wouldn’t have negotiated a new contract with Lawson. He averaged no less than 25.8 points per game in three CBA seasons, two with the Shandong Golden Stars and one with the Sturgeons. He notched career-highs in points (27.3) and rebounds (5.5) last season, while dishing out 8.7 assists to just 3.1 turnovers per game.

He hasn’t suited up for an NBA team since 2018, when he appeared in five playoff games for the Washington Wizards. Despite performing admirably, Lawson wasn’t offered a contract from the Wizards or any other NBA team the following season. As a result, he returned to China and resumed his career in the CBA.

With the CBA off the table, and a return to the NBA unlikely, where will Lawson look for his next job? He had a short and largely unsuccessful stint with BC Zalgiris of the Euro League in 2012, so European basketball doesn’t seem like a likely option for Lawson either. And has he become too much of a liability off the court for a team to take a chance on him moving forward? Keep in mind, this isn’t even the first time that Lawson has made news for his behavior off the court in 2020.

Lawson took to social media in May to launch a profanity-laced attack on UNC head coach Roy Williams, claiming that the 70-year-old Hall-of-Famer disparaged him to NBA general managers. Lawson was seemingly blaming Williams for his inability to stay in the league, despite the numerous off-court issues that he had during his eight-year stretch with the Nuggets, Rockets, Pacers, Kings and Wizards.

We’ll wish Lawson the best of luck, and hope that he finds his way both in life, and on the basketball court.

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