Charlotte Hornets' centre Al Jefferson will miss more time for his team due to a violation of the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Anti-Drug Program.

Jefferson, who is averaging 13.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 26.2 minutes per game this season, is already missing games for the Hornets due to an injury. The veteran centre has released an apology via the team’s official website.

“I want to apologize to the Hornets organization, our owner, my teammates and my coaches for the poor decision that I made. I know I have let people down, especially the Hornets fans who have been so supportive of me since I arrived in Charlotte two years ago,” Jefferson said in the official statement. “I am blessed to be able to play the game that I love for a living and I do not take that for granted. From the bottom of my heart, I am truly sorry, and I am committed to making smarter decisions in the future.”

The team also released an official statement saying they are not tolerating Jefferson’s mistake but expects the veteran to learn from it.

“We are disappointed in Al’s decisions that led to this suspension. As an organization, we do not condone this behavior. We have addressed this with Al. He is regretful and understands that we expect him to learn from this mistake,” the team said, also via hornets.com.

The Hornets won against the Miami Heat, 99-81 on Wednesday night (Thursday in Australia) and improved to 13-8 for the 2015-2016 regular season. Curiously, the Hornets are playing well without Jefferson in the line-up going 3-1 in the last four games without their starting centre.

Contact the writer at feedback@ibtimes.com.au, or let us know what you think below.

RELATED STORIES