The San Antonio Spurs’ stunning decision this week to release Josh Primo sent shockwaves throughout the NBA.
Primo, 19, was taken by the franchise in the first round just last year.
Up to this point, he had been regarded as a particularly prized young talent. The front office had even recently picked up the $4.3 million 2023-24 option on his deal.
Then came the gory details.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, “a former Spurs female employee has alleged that guard Josh Primo exposed himself to her, and she has hired attorney Tony Buzbee.”
Buzbee, of course, rose to prominence in recent years as the representative of the tens of women who accused Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson of sexual misconduct.
As bad as that report from Charania was, it would only get worse from there.
According to a new report from Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, this apparently was not an isolated incident.
“The San Antonio Spurs’ release of guard Josh Primo – the No. 12 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft — stemmed from multiple alleged instances of Primo exposing himself to women,” their report read.
Multiple.
Yikes.
It feels like this is only the tip of the iceberg as it pertains to Primo. For San Antonio to take as drastic of a step as it did, the details of what transpired have to be pretty unsavory. And just based on the general stuff that is known, it’s clear that this story will only get uglier from here.
Shortly after the Spurs parted ways with him, Primo released a statement.
Josh Primo statement to ESPN in the aftermath of his release from the Spurs tonight: pic.twitter.com/H1n3k3IIcn
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 29, 2022
“I know that you all are surprised by today’s announcement,” Primo said.
“I’ve been seeking help to deal with previous trauma I suffered and will now take this time to focus on my mental health treatment more fully. I hope to be able to discuss these issues in the future so I can help others who have suffered in a similar way. I appreciate privacy at this time.”
This has been an ugly year for the NBA on a variety of issues. Between rappers openly threatening players for poor play, guys getting exposed by their ex-wives, groupies successfully trapping dudes for 18 years and the Ime Udoka situation – it has been one thing after another.
The Spurs took a strong stance with Primo. Dumping him like they did sent a message. It will be interesting to see if other squads will follow suit.
Off-the-court drama notwithstanding, any team looking claim Primo would have to have the requisite available cap space or a traded player exception to absorb his $4.1 million salary. That too could limit potential suitors.
Herb Dean couldn’t stop staring at her. https://t.co/wfkoeUwxmj
— Game 7 (@game7__) October 30, 2022
As fans witnessed with the Udoka situation, details surrounding these unsavory matters drip out slowly like a pinhole leak in a pipe.
What else about Primo will come out in the coming days?
Time will tell.
Related: New Video Of Astros’ Framber Valdez Backs Cheating Rumors
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
