Waiters apologizes for incident on team plane as suspension concludes
Dion Waiters' team-issued 10-game suspension concluded with the Miami Heat's contest against the Golden State Warriors on Friday night. With the veteran guard eligible to return, he marked the occasion with a public statement of apology for his conduct earlier in November.
"I would like to apologize to my teammates, coaches, basketball staff, the fans, and the entire organization for the incident that happened on the team plane," Waiters said in a team-issued statement Saturday. "I was wrong and take responsibility for what happened and am sorry for what it put everyone through."
The incident in question reportedly saw Waiters suffer a negative reaction to an edible containing THC on a team flight between Phoenix and Los Angeles. The reaction was initially characterized by Fox Sports 640's Andy Slater as a seizure; ESPN's Brian Windhorst and Adrian Wojnarowski later reported the incident as a panic attack.
THC is an intoxicating chemical compound found in marijuana, a banned substance under the league's current collective bargaining agreement regardless of its legality in some jurisdictions.
"I am happy to be back with my teammates and am looking forward to getting back on the court playing basketball," Waiters' statement concluded.
The 27-year-old has yet to appear in a game this season, a result of multiple conduct-related team suspensions and conditioning stints. Waiters' absence has created ample opportunity for rookie shooting guards Kendrick Nunn and Tyler Herro to carve out significant roles in the Heat rotation.
Being sidelined for the team's first 18 games has already cost Waiters dearly. In addition to the salary lost during his suspensions, Waiters is no longer able to trigger a bonus clause in his contract. Had he played in at least 70 games this season, he would have received an additional $1.1 million on top of his $12.1-million base salary for 2019-20.
In 120 games with the Heat dating back to 2016-17, Waiters has averaged 14 points and 3.6 assists in just under 29 minutes per appearance.