Not one of my better moments” – Danny Ainge on his infamous 1994 inbound play against the Phoenix Suns
The NBA has witnessed some truly memorable inbound plays, both positive but also negative ones, like a particular incident involving Danny Ainge. In 1994, the then Phoenix Suns guard viciously threw an inbound pass directly at Mario Elie’s face.
While it served Ainge’s objective of expressing his anger at the time, he later acknowledged he had regrets. During a 2020 ESPN appearance, Ainge apologized for what he called “not one of my better moments.”
Explosive clash in garbage time
In the 1994 Western Conference Semifinals, the Suns faced off against the Rockets. In game 3, with Phoenix leading 2-0, Houston guard Elie made a tough and-one play on Ainge, followed by some trash talk in his defender’s face. Nearly 25 years later, the current Utah Jazz GM remarked about Elie, “I love him,” and stated, “As a player, I have great respect for him.”
Back then, despite being dominated by his opposing guard, Ainge managed to keep his cool. However, in hindsight, he recalled being “mad” and stated that this would signify the triggering moment for what would unfold in garbage time.
“Not one of my better moments” – Danny Ainge on his infamous 1994 inbound play against the Phoenix Suns
Ainge literally threw a temper tantrum, something he isn’t particularly proud of today.
APR 6, 2024
1990S
The NBA has witnessed some truly memorable inbound plays, both positive but also negative ones, like a particular incident involving Danny Ainge. In 1994, the then Phoenix Suns guard viciously threw an inbound pass directly at Mario Elie’s face.
While it served Ainge’s objective of expressing his anger at the time, he later acknowledged he had regrets. During a 2020 ESPN appearance, Ainge apologized for what he called “not one of my better moments.”
Explosive clash in garbage time
In the 1994 Western Conference Semifinals, the Suns faced off against the Rockets. In game 3, with Phoenix leading 2-0, Houston guard Elie made a tough and-one play on Ainge, followed by some trash talk in his defender’s face. Nearly 25 years later, the current Utah Jazz GM remarked about Elie, “I love him,” and stated, “As a player, I have great respect for him.”
Back then, despite being dominated by his opposing guard, Ainge managed to keep his cool. However, in hindsight, he recalled being “mad” and stated that this would signify the triggering moment for what would unfold in garbage time.
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With the Rockets already holding a significant lead, their star player, Hakeem Olajuwon, went up for a forceful dunk instead of a simple layup – a move clearly disapproved within the league and considered unnecessary and disrespectful to opponents. Ainge, evidently sharing this sentiment, responded directly to the inbound by throwing it at his opponents.
Amusingly, the ball rebounded directly to the sideline, going out of bounds once more, resulting in a turnover for Ellie and giving the Suns another opportunity to inbound.
A nonchalant response
For such a malicious play, it’s remarkable how relatively calm everyone remained. The players appeared more surprised than angered by the artillery round coming their way. Particularly, Suns star Charles Barkley froze in confusion after it struck Elie in the face.
The referees also didn’t make a fuss about Danny’s poor display of sportsmanship. His temper tantrum would certainly have gotten him tossed from the game faster than he could blink nowadays.
The league administration was relaxed, as well, back then. They believed as little in his initial claim that it happened unintentionally as anyone else did. Ainge had, after all, actually played a few years in the MLB earlier, thus he certainly knew how to throw a ball. He was fined just $5,000, not a hefty sum even when adjusted for today’s currency, especially considering Ainge being a repeat offender.
Only a few players have a list of players they’ve clashed with quite like Ainge, who, during his 15-year NBA career, gained notoriety for being an instigator, never backing down from scraps, and pushing the rules to the maximum. Nothing exemplified all that better than the infamous 1994 inbound play.